Dear Geist,
The question [Which is correct: “Ted asked me to come over” or “Ted asked me to go over”? February 1, 2017] isn’t just about direction of movement, it’s about indirect dialogue. In direct dialogue, everything is written verbatim:
“Ted phoned last Thursday. ‘Can you come over to my place tomorrow?’ he said.
‘Mom will be there.’”
But in indirect voice, elements that are relative to the speaker get changed. It’s a fairly broad principle, going beyond simple grammar:
“Ted phoned last Thursday and asked me to go over to his place the next day [or
Friday] to meet his mother.”
—Robert Dawson, Halifax NS
Dear Robert,
Many thanks for these enriching additions. More evidence that when it comes to questions on language, there are no simple answers!
—The Editors
