今回の実例はTwitterから、ちょっと珍しいものを。 学校で習う英語の文法で、日本語母語話者にとってちょっとめんどくさいのが《時制の一致》だ。間接話法にしたときに、従属節の動詞の時制を主節の動詞に合わせるという例のあれだ。 Tom said, "I'm hungry." ←この現在形が…… → Tom said that he was hungry. ←saidに合わせて過去形になる Tom said, "I'll buy a new phone." ←《未来》を表す助動詞willの場合…… → Tom said that he would buy a new phone. ←過去形のwouldになる Tom said, "I went there by myself." ←過去形の場合は…… Tom said that he had gone there by himself. ←過去