問：He admitted that he has received money from the agent of a foreign power.
有關上句使用reported speech 用法中的that 子句應當使用had received，才符合時態呼應原則。這種破壞時態呼應原則的用法，是否應被看成錯誤？
答：為了表示“承認”( admitted) 與間接引句中的“接受”( had received ) 時間上的先後關係，當然要說：He admitted that he had received…但是，正像語言學家A .S .Hornby 所指出的那樣，法庭上的辯護律師或證人通常要說：He admitted that he has received…為什麼呢？這是因為說話人所陳述的事件是與目前的審訊有直接聯繫的。這正是reported speech的用法了
( 參見sequence of tenses, indirect speech)