he said that "you were correct." vs he said, "you are correct."

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. The first phrase, "He said that 'you were correct.'", is used when reporting something that was said in the past. The second phrase, "He said, 'you are correct.'", is used when directly quoting someone in the present. The choice between the two depends on the tense of the reported speech.

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Last updated: November 05, 2024 • 10452 views

he said that "you were correct."

This phrase is correct and commonly used when reporting something that was said in the past.

This phrase is used to report speech that occurred in the past. The verb 'were' matches the past tense of the reported speech.

Examples:

She told me that 'she was going to the store.'
He mentioned that 'he had finished his homework.'
They explained that 'they had already left.'
The teacher confirmed that 'the test was next week.'
I heard that 'they were getting married.'

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Last updated: November 15, 2024

Which of the following sentences is punctuated INCORRECTLY? A. He said that "You were correct." B. He said, "You are correct." C.
Dec 15, 2022 ... ... you spend most of your time. You are not special because you think you're smart enough to correct people. Learn your facts before you start ...
Well that was probably true. They were all on a diet. But now we're told that 9.3 million families in this country are poverty-stricken on the basis of earning ...
Jan 7, 2023 ... We weep over the might have been, but there is no might have been. There never was. It is supposed to be true that those who do not know history ...
Apr 30, 2018 ... ... he said that an unjust law is no law at all. ... 12.5 million slaves were transported in the trans Atlantic slave trade in total that is true.
He said that he never knew what the completed picture would look like ... I don't know all that many things that are positively true, but I do know ...
Both of the following sentences are correct: The child said that they ... "Did you turn off the coffee pot?" I asked Evelyn if she had turned off the ...
Jun 12, 2024 ... We have to understand. God can't stand groveling. We were created to be a shining light in the universe. When we are our best, we are.
May 21, 2024 ... He said that when we sent him to his room to punish him he couldn't eat or drink anything for an entire day. He said that we were going to ...

Alternatives:

he said that 'you were right.'
he mentioned that 'you were accurate.'
he confirmed that 'you were spot on.'
he reported that 'you were on the mark.'
he stated that 'you were on target.'

he said, "you are correct."

This phrase is correct and commonly used when directly quoting someone in the present.

This phrase is used to directly quote someone in the present. The verb 'are' matches the present tense of the quoted speech.