Past perfect remains past perfect Like should / might / could in the earlier examples, the past perfect used in direct speech cannot move one tense further back in indirect speech: 'If only I had ...

Ecological communities are shaped by a complex array of direct and indirect interactions. These interactions are spatially and temporally dynamic and can be challenging to disentangle ...

Whether it is in direct speech or the indirect, punctuation marks such as the comma, full stop and question mark should be diligently and carefully handled to avoid confusion or outright errors.