Explain the concept of reported agreements and disagreements.

Reported agreements and disagreements refer to the act of reporting or conveying someone else's opinion, agreement, or disagreement in indirect or reported speech. When we report someone's agreement or disagreement, we are essentially paraphrasing or summarizing their statement while maintaining the essence of their viewpoint.

To report agreements, we use reporting verbs such as 'agree,' 'concur,' 'admit,' 'acknowledge,' or 'accept.' When reporting an agreement, we need to make certain changes to the original statement to convert it into indirect speech. These changes include:

1. Changing the tense: If the original statement is in the present tense, we usually change it to the past tense in reported speech. For example, "I agree with you" becomes "He/she said that he/she agreed with me."

2. Changing pronouns: We also need to change the pronouns to reflect the shift in perspective. For instance, "We both agree" becomes "They both said that they agreed."

3. Changing adverbs of time and place: If the original statement includes adverbs of time or place, we may need to modify or omit them in reported speech. For example, "I agree here and now" becomes "He/she said that he/she agreed."

On the other hand, to report disagreements, we use reporting verbs such as 'disagree,' 'object,' 'refuse,' 'deny,' or 'argue.' Similar to reporting agreements, we need to make certain changes when reporting disagreements:

1. Changing the tense: As with agreements, we usually change the tense from present to past in reported speech. For example, "I disagree with you" becomes "He/she said that he/she disagreed with me."

2. Changing pronouns: Pronouns are also modified to reflect the shift in perspective. For instance, "We both disagree" becomes "They both said that they disagreed."

3. Changing adverbs of time and place: Adverbs of time or place may need to be modified or omitted in reported speech. For example, "I disagree here and now" becomes "He/she said that he/she disagreed."

It is important to note that when reporting agreements and disagreements, we should maintain the accuracy and integrity of the original statement while adapting it to indirect speech. Additionally, we may need to use appropriate reporting verbs and conjunctions to convey the speaker's opinion accurately.