（1）“Joan is taking a month's vacation in June.” “That's nice. Did she say where ____?” A. is she going B. she goes C. she is going D. will she go(TOEFL)
(2) "Sarah left for Ohio this morning." "Oh, I thought she ____ until next week."
A. won't be going B. isn't going C. wasn't going D. hadn't been going(TOEFL)试题(1)要求选she is going(C)，而试题(2)要求选wasn't going(C)。这两个答案似乎有矛盾。试题(2)要求时态呼应，即间接引语中的动词时态必须前移(backshift)。而试题(1)不要求时态呼应，即间接引语中的动词时态不用向前移，这究竟是怎么回事呢？
按传统语法的规定，当主句动词用过去时，间接引语中的动词时态必须向前移，即把直接引语中的现在时改为过去时，而把过去时改为过去完成时，或把现在完成时改为过去完成时。但是，现代英语的实际使用情况却并不是如此简单，而表现出极大的随意性。
A: Did you say you have/had no money?
B: Yes, I'm completely broken.
A: How did you know that I am/was Max Wilson?
当托福测试专家们按照他们自己的语感来写作的时候,就会表现出这种随意性。试题
(1) 便是一例, 下面还有更多的实例:
-
Professor Datilla just announced that he will give us a test this afternoon. “That’s not fair. How much time ____ for us to study?” (答案为 will there be) (TOEFL)
-
It was told yesterday that the company ____ me there next week for a business conference. A. shall have sent B. are going to send
C. shall be sending D. shall send(Nelson, 250A)(答案为 B)
但是,当他们按传统语法的规则来考学生的时候,便严格要求学生遵循时态呼应原则。上面的试题(2)便是一例,下面还有更多的实例:
- “My father will be here tomorrow.” “Oh, I thought that he ____ today.”
A. was coming B. is coming C. will come D. comes(TOEFL)(答案为 A)
- Public Opinion Magazine reported that 57 percent of all Americans strongly believe that A B
mothers with young children should not work outside of the home unless their families badly C D
needed the extra income. (试题要求将 believe 改为 believed)
(参见 indirect speech)