309 过去时态有时保持不变

A 从理论上讲，间接引语中一般过去时应当变成过去完成时，但在口语中，如果不至于使人对于动作发生的相对时间产生混淆，则常保持不变。

例如：He said，‘I loved her’（他说：“我爱过她”）必须变成He said he had loved her（他说他爱过她），否则句子的意思就会不一样了。但He said，‘Ann arrived on Monday’（他说：“安是星期一到的”）可以转述为He said Ann arrived／had arrived on Monday（他说安是星期一到的／他说安已于星期一到达）。

B 从理论上讲，过去进行时应当变成过去完成进行时，但实际上除非所指的是已完成的动作，否则一般都不变：

She said，‘We were thinking of selling the house but we have decided not to．’

她说：“我们曾想卖掉这所房子，但现在已经决定不卖了。”相当于：

She said that they had been thinking of selling the house but had decided not to．

她说他们曾想卖掉这所房子，但现在已经决定不卖了。

但是：

He said，‘When I saw them they were playing tennis．’

他说：“我看到他们时，他们在打网球。”相当于：

He said that when he saw them they were playing tennis．

他说他看到他们时，他们在打网球。

C 英语书面语中，一般过去时在间接引语中固然常常变成过去完成时，但也有以下几种例外情况：

1 时间从句中的一般过去时及过去进行时常不需改变：

He said，‘When we were living ／lived in Paris…’

他说：“我们住在巴黎的时候……”相当于：

He said that when they were living in Paris…

他说他们住在巴黎的时候……

这类间接引语的主句中的主要动词既可保持不变，也可以变成过去完成时：

He said，‘When we were living／lived in Paris we often saw Paul．’

他说：“我们住在巴黎时，常常看到保罗。”相当于：

He said that when they were living／lived in Paris they often saw／had of－ ten seen Paul．

他说他们住在巴黎时，常常看到保罗。

2 如一般过去时被用来叙述转述时仍继续存在的情况，则在间接引语中保持不变：

She said，‘I decided not to buy the house because it was on a main road．’

她说：“我决定不买这座房子了，因为它在交通要道上。”相当于：

She said that she had decided not to buy the house because it was on amain road．

她说她决定不买这座房子了，因为它在交通要道上。