Tense backshift
When reporting speech with a past reporting verb (said, told, asked), the verbs usually "shift back" one tense.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| "I am tired." (present simple) | She said she was tired. (past simple) |
| "I work here." | He said he worked there. |
| "We are going out." (present continuous) | They said they were going out. (past continuous) |
| "I have seen it." (present perfect) | She said she had seen it. (past perfect) |
| "I saw him." (past simple) | He said he had seen him. (past perfect) |
| "I will call." | She said she would call. |
| "I can help." | He said he could help. |
No backshift needed:
When the reporting verb is in the present ("He says…", "She tells me…"), no tense change is needed: "John says he is coming tonight."
Pronoun and time changes
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| Pronouns: I → he/she, my → his/her, we → they | "I love my job." → She said she loved her job. |
| now → then | "I can't talk now." → He said he couldn't talk then. |
| today → that day | "I'm busy today." → She said she was busy that day. |
| tomorrow → the next day / the following day | "I'll call tomorrow." → He said he'd call the next day. |
| here → there | "Come here." → She told me to go there. |
| this → that, these → those | "I like this dress." → She said she liked that dress. |
Reported questions
| Type | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No question Use if or whether |
"Do you like reggae?" | She asked me if I liked reggae. |
| Wh- question Keep the wh- word, statement word order |
"What time does it start?" | She asked what time it started. |
"Was the bus late?" → He asked me if the bus had been late.
"Where do you live?" → She asked me where I lived.
"Where do you live?" → She asked me where I lived.
Word order in reported questions:
No inversion — use statement word order (subject + verb), not question order: ✓ "She asked where I lived." ✗ "She asked where did I live."
Exercises
Choose the correct reported form.
1. "I'm scared of heights." → Lee told me he ___ scared of heights.
2. "I'll be watching TV this evening." → He said he ___ TV that evening.
3. "Do you like reggae?" → She asked me ___ I liked reggae.
4. "I won't be late." → He said he ___ late.
5. "What time does the concert start?" → She asked me what time the concert ___.