![]() ![]() On Sunday the 15th through Friday the 20th: In general, however, the proximity of yesterday to test seems to lessen the ambiguity. However, this introduces ambiguity as to whether "yesterday" refers to the day of Paul's statement or the day of Paul's test. Paul said that he'd have a test yesterday. If the sentence was said on Saturday the 14th, you can say: Of course, you can alter the sentence to be more specific. Paul said that he'd have a test the following Friday. There is no reason to insert a "the" before Friday in either the direct speech or reported speech.īesides, how should I refer to the Friday in the next week (June 20)? Are the following sentences correct, or should it be the other way around? Say it's Monday, June 9 today, and yesterday Paul told me that he will have a test on >Friday, June 13. This also seems to be a recurring question on ELU.ĢOddly enough, the preposition on here can be included or omitted. Also, more about why this came to be can be found at this ELU question. In any case, I feel bad for Paul if his test is on Friday the 13th – that's bad luck!ġFor more on this ambiguity, see some of the answers under this ELU question. "Wait – do you mean Friday the 13th? Or next week, on the 20th? After hearing a statement like, "Paul will take his test next Friday," it is very common for native speakers to ask for clarification, like this: Yes, "next Friday" has been listed for both, because it's used to describe both cases. Paul said that he'd have a test (on) the Friday after next. Paul said that he'd have a test this Friday. Paul said that he'd have a test on Friday. Paul said that he'd have a test next Friday. Paul said that he'd have a test the next Friday.Īgain, I wouldn't expect to see this from a native speaker, because we don't usually use the word the before next Friday. If Paul was a native speaker, I'd expect to one of these instead: What is odd, though, is Paul's use of "I'll have a test." We don't usually use the phrase will have when it comes to future test-taking. In English, "Next Friday" is an unfortunate idiom, in that it can be used to mean "this upcoming Friday" and "the Friday after this upcoming Friday." 1 I would assume the test could be on the 13th, or a week later on the 20th. The use of next Friday is fine here, although it's not entirely clear that the test will be on the 13th. Paul said, "I'll have a test next Friday." ![]()
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