Question

1. He said to us, " There are many bears."

2. He told us, " There are many bears."

3. He told us that there are many bears.

4. He told us that there were many bears.

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Are they all the same? Which ones are commonly used? Which ones are not the same?

Answer 1

Yes, all are the same. The first two are direct quotations while the other two are indirect quotations. 3 and 4 are more commonly used.