Re: reportet speach

"mUs1Ka" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "Adrian Bailey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "Owain" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > "Adrian Bailey" wrote
> > > | > Original:
> > > | > can you bring these letters to the post office ?
> > > | The original should be: "Can you *take* these letters to the post
> > office?"
> > > | Both the speaker and the listener are not at the post office, nor is
> the
> > > | speaker going to be at the post office, so "bring" is not possible.
> > >
> > > The sentence, given without context, doesn't exclude that possibility.
> If
> > > the speaker and listener were arranging to meet at a later time at the
> > post
> > > office, the speaker might ask the listener to bring the letters with
> him.
> > >
> > > Or the speaker might be at the post office and telephoning the
listener
> to
> > > ask him to bring the letters to the post office.
> > >
> > > "These letters" may refer to letters which are being discussed, not
> > > necessarily ones which are near by.
> >
> > You're trying too hard. Okay, the sentence doesn't exclude that
> possibility,
> > but it's all but excluded. Given the context in which the sentence was
> > found, ie. an English lesson, I can only say that the sentence is a
> mistake.
> >
> Unfortunately, it is not a mistake; just American English.

ie. not good English. QED

Adrian