Backshifting rulesQuoted speech - directReported speech - indirect
Present simple“I
am
in POA.”"I
live
in Porto Alegre."Simple PastHe said that he
was
in POA.He said that he
lived
in Porto Alegre.Present C ontinuous
to be (am/are/is)+verb+ing
"I
am studying
English."Past Continuous
to be (was/were)+verb+ing
She said that she
was studying
English.Simple P ast“I
was
tired yesterday.”"I
went
out
yesterday."Present Perfect
have/has+participle
"I
have been
to Paris twice."Past P erfect
had+participle
"By 6 p.m. I
had
already
finished
all the paperwork."Past Perfect
had+participle (3
rd
column)
She said she
had been
tired the day before.She said that she
had gone
out
the day before.
had+participle
He said that he
had been
to Paris twice.
had+participle
IT DOES NOT CHANGE
He said that by 6 p.m. he
had
already
finished
allthe paperwork.Past C ontinuous
to be (was/were)+verb+ing
“I
was doing
my chores.”Present Perfect C ontinuous
have/has+been+verb+ing
“I
have been singing
for 10 years.”Past Perfect C ontinuous
had+been+verb+ing
“She
had been waiting
for that phone call for a very longtime.”Past Perfect Continuous
had+been+verb+ing
She said she
had been doing
her chores.
had+been+verb+ing
She said she
had been singing
for 10 years.
had+been+verb+ing IT DOES NOT CHANGE
He said she
had been waiting
for that phone callfor a very long time.W ill
will+verb /// will be+verb+ing
"I
will do
my homework."“I
will
be visiting
my friends in China and Japan.”Would
would+verb /// would be+verb+ing
She said that she
would do
her homework.He said that he
would
be visiting
his friends inChina and Japan.To b e going to (pres)
am/are/is going to + verb
To be going to (past)
was/were going to + verb
“I
am going to eat out
tomorrow.”She said that she
was going to eat out
the nextday.Can
can+verb
“I
can’t go out
.”C ould
could+verb
“I
could
come in
earlier.”To be able to (pres)
am/are/is able to+verb
“She
is not able to speak
.”May (possibility)
may+verb
“I
may
never
find
him.”May (permission)
may+verb
“May I come in?”W ould
would+verb
“I
would like
some ice cream.”Might
might+verb
“I
might go
to the party.”M ust (present)
must+verb
“We
must hurry up
.”Must (future)
must+verb
“I
must leave
for the United States next week.”--------Must (as a rule that always applies)
must+verb
Grandma said: “children
must obey
their parents.”--------To h ave to
have/had to + verb
“I
have to go
soon.”Could
could+verb
She said that she
couldn’t go out
.Could
could+verb
IT DOES NOT CHANGE
He said that he
could
come in
earlier.To be able to (past)
was/were able to+verb
He said that she
was not able to speak
.Might
might+verb
She said that she
might
never
find
him.Could
could+verb
She asked if she could come in.Would
would+verb
IT DOES NOT CHANGE
She said that she
would like
some ice cream.Might
might+verb IT DOES NOT CHANGE
He said that he
might go
to the party.Had to
had to+verb
She said that we
had to hurry up
.Would have to
would have to+verb
He said that he
would have to leave
for the UnitedStates the following week.Must
must+verb IT DOES NOT CHANGE
Grandma said that children
must obey
their parents.Had to
had to+verb
She said that she
had to go
soon.
S hould
should+verb
“You
should leave
.”O ught to
ought to+verb
“You
ought to see
this movie.”Shall (future)
shall+verb
“I
shall be
free.”Shall (ask for advice)
shall+verb
“
Shall
I
wear
this shirt?”Should
should+verb IT DOES NOT CHANGE
She said that he
should leave
.Ought to
ought to+verb IT DOES NOT CHANGE
She said that he
ought to see
that movie.Would
would+verb
He said that he
would be
free.Should
should+verb
He asked if he
should wear
that shirt.
If the reporting verb is in the past, then the verb in the reported clause will usually be in
a past form
.“Idrink tea every day”.Shesaidthat shedrank tea every day.
If the reporting verb is in the following tenses, the reported clause verb is usually not changed (no backshift required).Simple Present or Present Perfect: Shesays/has saidthat shedrinkstea every day.
Simple Future or
Going to
Future: Shewill say/is going to saythat shedrinkstea every day.
***Exceptions:
If the reported sentence states a
fact or general truth
, the present tense can be maintained even though the reporting verb isin the past.Hesaidthat gravity pullsobjects towards the centre of the Earth.
If the speaker
reports something soon after it was said
, the reported clause verb frequently remains as it was.“The next flightisat 10 p.m.”Shesaidthat the next flightisat 10 p.m.
Backshift of simple past is optional if the
situation is unchanged or if you agree
with the original speaker.Shesaidthat Australiais/wasbeautiful.
Simple Past and Past Continuous don’t usually change in
sentences with
when/if
.“WhenIwas drivingto school, Igot pulled over.”
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