verb tense question

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nick - 28 Dec 2003 22:43 GMT

The next paragraph is an except from a news report. Why is it okay to
use past tense 'said' in the first sentence but present tense 'says'
in the second sentence when it looks like he said both on that same
conference?

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said at a news conference that
medical costs for the elderly are rising faster than the overall
Japanese economy. He says spending on pensions and healthcare cannot
be reduced, but that the government will slash spending in other
areas.

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John O'Flaherty - 28 Dec 2003 23:54 GMT

>The next paragraph is an except from a news report. Why is it okay to
>use past tense 'said' in the first sentence but present tense 'says'
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>be reduced, but that the government will slash spending in other
>areas.

The first case describes a specific event. That interpretation is
forced by 'at a news conference'. The second case, using 'says', is an
idiom that means that is his opinion, which he could express at any
time. Note that the second case could also have used 'said', and it
would be referring again to that specific instance of saying.

--
john

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Michael Nitabach - 29 Dec 2003 01:25 GMT

> The next paragraph is an except from a news report. Why is it
> okay to use past tense 'said' in the first sentence but present
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> cannot be reduced, but that the government will slash spending in
> other areas.

It's not ok. It's poor copy-editing.

--
Mike Nitabach

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nick - 30 Dec 2003 07:49 GMT

>> The next paragraph is an except from a news report. Why is it
>> okay to use past tense 'said' in the first sentence but present
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>It's not ok. It's poor copy-editing.

Hmm... Whose opinion should I listen to? Yours or John?

The article was from Voice Of America:

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=1E89ADC1-EFFB-4F0F-B777E96EF35C4295&
title=Aging%20Japanese%20Society%20Could%20Push%20Public%20Debt%20to%20All%2DTim
e%20High&catOID=45C9C785-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Business

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John O'Flaherty - 09 Jan 2004 19:13 GMT

>>> The next paragraph is an except from a news report. Why is it
>>> okay to use past tense 'said' in the first sentence but present
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
>http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=1E89ADC1-EFFB-4F0F-B777E96EF35C4295&
title=Aging%20Japanese%20Society%20Could%20Push%20Public%20Debt%20to%20All%2DTim
e%20High&catOID=45C9C785-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Business

We answered from two different perspectives. I agree with his comment
from a stylistic viewpoint. Grammatically, though, the two sentences
are correct.

--
john

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

verb tense question