Hello all,
Just wanted you to look at the quotation shown hereunder and let me know whether my explanation of the use of tenses therein is admissible.
«Maliki HAS BEEN CRITICIZED [1] by Washington and leaders of the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority for failing to disarm his Mehdi Army..... Abdul Mahdi Mtiri, a member of the Sadrists' political committee, SAID [2] Iraqi officials HAD PROMISED [3] Darraji would be released..... The United Nations SAYS [4] more than 34,000 civilians were killed in 2006.»
[1]. Indicates an unfinished action: he has been criticized up to the present.
[2]. He said that once in an interview or something. Simple Past.
[3]. Sequence of tenses. The (alleged) promise had been made before he said about it. Past before Past.
[4]. "Says" casts an emphasize on actuality. "Says"="current opinion is". Thus, Present Simple.
Thanks in advance,
Anton.
P.S.: It's not only for the useless jabber we do in our little thread. I am really interested.
Just wanted you to look at the quotation shown hereunder and let me know whether my explanation of the use of tenses therein is admissible.
«Maliki HAS BEEN CRITICIZED [1] by Washington and leaders of the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority for failing to disarm his Mehdi Army..... Abdul Mahdi Mtiri, a member of the Sadrists' political committee, SAID [2] Iraqi officials HAD PROMISED [3] Darraji would be released..... The United Nations SAYS [4] more than 34,000 civilians were killed in 2006.»
[1]. Indicates an unfinished action: he has been criticized up to the present.
[2]. He said that once in an interview or something. Simple Past.
[3]. Sequence of tenses. The (alleged) promise had been made before he said about it. Past before Past.
[4]. "Says" casts an emphasize on actuality. "Says"="current opinion is". Thus, Present Simple.
Thanks in advance,
Anton.
P.S.: It's not only for the useless jabber we do in our little thread. I am really interested.