Bunuel wrote:
Last year, John promised Jane that he will take her to the opera on their anniversary.
A. promised Jane that he will take her
B. has promised Jane that he would take her
C. has made a promise to Jane that he will take her
D. promised Jane that he would take her
E. promised Jane that he would take
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Last year, John promised Jane that he will take her to the opera on their anniversary.A. promised Jane that he will take her
Incorrect.
This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. In Reported Speech, when the reporting verb is in the Past tense (promised), the following conjugated verbs should also be in the Past. However, will take is in the Future.
What helps us identify this question as a Reported Speech question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: Reported Speech with a reporting verb in Past tenseB. has promised Jane that he would take her
Incorrect.
This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The sentence begins with a specific time indication "last year". In the case of an action that happened in the past at a specific time, Past Simple is the correct tense. Thus, the use of the Present Perfect "has promised" is incorrect.C. has made a promise to Jane that he will take her
Incorrect.
This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The sentence begins with a specific time indication "last year". In the case of an action that happened in the past at a specific time, Past Simple is the correct tense. Thus, the use of the Present Perfect "has made" is incorrect.D. promised Jane that he would take her
In Reported Speech, when the reporting verb is in the Past tense (promised), the following conjugated verbs should also be in the Past (would take).E. promised Jane that he would take
Incorrect.
While this answer choice corrects the original sentence and is grammatically correct, it doesn't fit into the original sentence as a result of the omission of the word her.