時制の一致 (Sequence of tense)
・時制の一致の有無 (Wurmbrand 2014:429)
(50) a. John said that Mary was reading Middlemarch.
b. John said that Mary read Middlemarch.
(50a)は時制の一致の解釈が可能。(50b)は時制の一致の解釈が不可能で，...Mary had read Middlemarchの解釈のみ可能。
・時制の一致の例外 MEG, part 4, Chapter 11から Joan knew that it is the feminine role to lead conversation.
The old conductor told me that he has not missed a single trip since he entered the service of the road.
I learned this morning that they have begun work on the bridge.
Warner (1982:159)は”This use of the present tense is simply a consequence of deixis within complement clauses, and the concept of 'backshifting' is somewhat misleading."としている。
Binnickの有名な例
言語学
46a. The Sheriff of Nottingham jailed Robin Hood for four years.
46b. The Sheriff of Nottingham jailed Robin Hood in Reading.
47a. The Sheriff of Nottingham put Robin Hood in jail for four years.
47b. The Sheriff of Nottingham put Robin Hood in jail in Reading.
それぞれa文は
'the Sheriff of Nottingham caused Robin Hood to be in jail for four years'と'the Sheriff of Nottingham spent four years putting Robin Hood in jail'の二通りに多義。
そしてb文は
'the Sheriff of Nottingham caused Robin Hood to be in the Reading jail.'と'the Sheriff of Nottingham was in Reading when he caused Robin Hood to be in jail.'の二通りに多義。
