Tense backshift Modal verbs Time, place & pronouns Questions General rules Verb patterns Exercises

Tense backshift

When reporting speech with a past reporting verb (said, told, asked), the tense of the original speech usually "shifts back" one step in time.

Direct speechReported speech
"I am tired." (present simple) She said she was tired. (past simple)
"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 — or stays past simple, informal)
"I was cooking." (past continuous) She said she had been cooking. (past perfect continuous — or stays past continuous, informal)
"I will call." (future — will) She said she would call. (conditional — would)
No backshift needed: When the reporting verb is present, future, or present perfect ("He says…", "She's told me…"), the tense usually stays the same — the time reference hasn't changed: "John says he is coming tonight." · "Marco says he's passed his driving test."

Modal verbs

Modal verbs shift too, following their own pattern — separate from the main tense backshift above.

Direct speechReported speech
willwould
cancould
maymight
musthad to (or stays "must" for a general rule/obligation)
shallshould / would
Modals that don't change: could, would, should, might, and ought to are already "one step back" — they stay the same in reported speech: "I might visit my cousins this weekend," Priya said. → Priya said she might visit her cousins that weekend.

Time, place and pronoun changes

Time expressions

DirectReported
nowthen / at that time
todaythat day
tonightthat night
yesterdaythe day before / the previous day
tomorrowthe next day / the following day
the day after tomorrowtwo days later / the day after
agobefore / previously
last (week/month/year)the previous (week/month/year) / the (week/month/year) before
next (week/month/year)the following (week/month/year) / the next (week/month/year)
this (week/month/year)that (week/month/year)

Place and demonstratives

DirectReported
herethere
thisthat
thesethose
come (verb of movement)go
"Come here!" → He told the dog to go there.

Pronouns and possessives

These change according to context — who is speaking, who is being reported, and who is being addressed.

DirectTypical reported shift
Ihe / she
wethey
youI / he / she / we / they (depends on context)
myhis / her
ourtheir
yourmy / his / her / our / their
minehis / hers
ourstheirs
myselfhimself / herself
ourselvesthemselves
"You" depends on context: There's no fixed rule for "you" — it becomes whichever pronoun correctly identifies that same person from the new speaker's point of view: "I love my job." → She said she loved her job.

Reported questions

TypeDirectReported
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.
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."
Question tags disappear: Question tags are never included in reported questions — the sentence becomes a plain yes/no question: "You're coming, aren't you?" → He asked me if I was coming.
Reporting short answers: Short answers ("Yes, I do." / "No, I don't.") are reported using the same auxiliary or modal verb from the original: "Do you play chess?" "No, I don't." → She asked me if I played chess and I said I didn't.

Important general rules

The "No Change" rule: If the reporting happens at the same time and place as the original speech, changing the time/place expressions is optional — the original words are still accurate.
Universal truths: Tenses do not backshift for scientific facts, general truths, or permanent situations — they stay in the present regardless of when the reporting verb happened: "The Pacific is the largest ocean," the teacher said. → The teacher said (that) the Pacific is the largest ocean.
Question word order, one more time: Reported questions always revert to statement word order, and the question mark disappears — this is worth over-learning, since it's the single most common mistake at this level.

Reporting verb patterns

Different reporting verbs (admit, suggest, promise, warn, advise…) follow different grammatical patterns after them — not every verb works like "say" or "tell". That's a big enough topic to deserve its own page:

Reporting Verbs (B2) →

Exercises

EXERCISE:

Exercise 1 — Choose the correct reported form

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. "You must arrive on time," the teacher said (a general rule for everyone). → The teacher said we ___ arrive on time.

5. "What time does the concert start?" → She asked me what time the concert ___.

6. "You're leaving early, aren't you?" → He asked me ___ I was leaving early.

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