Reported speech

The sequence of tenses in the subordinate clauses:

Main clause Action Subordinate clause Examples
PAST Simultaneous The Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) Mark was watching her while she was reading.
Preceding The Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) He didn’t know why she had left without leaving a note.
Following Future-in-the-Past (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) The note on the table said that she would not back.
PRESENT Simultaneous The Present Indefinite or the Present Continuous (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) James has told me that he is too busy now.
Preceding The Present Perfect, the Past Indefinite, the Present Perfect Continuous or the Past Continuous (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) I don’t think we have met before. From your looks it’s clear that it has been raining hard.
Following Means of expressing future (no matter which of the past tenses is used in the principle clause) I hope he will help me.
FUTURE Simultaneous The Present Indefinite or the Present Continuous They will find they have much to do there.
Preceding The Present Perfect or the Past Indefinite He will find that Mary has left.
Following Means of expressing future I’ll let you know what he will do.

TENSE CHANGE - IN - INDIRECT SPEECH
Present simple tense into Past simple
Present Continuous tense into Past continuous
Present Perfect tense into Pas perfect
Present Perfect Continuous into Past perfect continuous
Past simple into Past Perfect
Past Continuous into Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect into Past Perfect
Future simple, will into would
Future Continuous, will be into would be
Future Perfect, will have into would have

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
PRESENT TENSE
PRESENT SIMPLE changes into PAST SIMPLE
He said, “I write a letter” She said, “he goes to school daily” They said, “we love our country” He said, “he does not like computer” He said that he wrote a letter. He said that she went to school daily. They said that they loved their country He said that he did not like computer.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST CONTINUOUS
He said, “he is listening to the music” She said, “I am washing my clothes” They said, “we are enjoying the weather” I said, “it is raining” She said, “I am not laughing” He said that he was listening to the music. She said that she was washing her clothes. They said that they were not enjoying the weather. She said that she was not laughing.
PRESENT PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT
She said, “he has finished his work” He said, “I have started a job” I said, “she have eaten the meal” They said, “we have not gone to New York. She said that he had finished his work. He said that he had started a job. I said that she had eaten the meal. They said that they had not gone to New York.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
He said, “I have been studying since 3 O’clock” She said, “It has been raining for three days.” I said, “She has been working in this office since 2007” He said that he had been studying since 3 O’clock. She said that it been raining for three days. I said that she had been working in this office since 2007.
PAST TENSE
PAST SIMPLE changes into PAST PERFECT
He said to me, “you answered correctly” John said, “they went to cinema” He said, “I made a table” She said, “I didn’t buy a car” He said to me that I had answered correctly. John said that they had gone to cinema. He said that he had made a table. She said that she had not bought a car.
PAST CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
They said, “we were enjoying the weather” He said to me, “ I was waiting for you” I said, “It was raining” She said, “I was not laughing” They said that they had been enjoying. He said to me that he had been waiting for me. I said that it had been raining. She said that she not been laughing.
PAST PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT (tense does not change)
She said, “She had visited a doctor” He said, “I had started a business” I said, “she had eaten the meal” They said, “we had not gone to New York. She said that she had visited a doctor. He said that he had started a business. I said that she had eaten the meal. They said they had not gone to New York.
FUTURE TENSE
FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE WILL changes into WOULD
He said, “I will study the book” She said, “I will buy a computer” They said to me, “we will send you gifts” I said, “I will not take the exam” He said that he would study the book. She said that she would buy a computer. They said to me that they would send you gifts. I said that I would not take the exam.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE WILL BE changes into WOULD BE
I said to him, “ I will be waiting for him” She said,” I will be shifting to new home” He said, “I will be working hard” He said, “he will not be flying kite” I said to him that I would be waiting for him. She said that she would be shifting to a new home. He said that he would be working hard. She said that he would not be flying kites.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE WILL HAVE changes into WOULD HAVE
He said, “I will have finished the work” She said, “they will have passed the examination” He said, “I will have gone” He said that he would have finished the work. She said that they would have passed the examination. He said that he would have gone.

The sequence of tenses is:

VIOLATED STRICTLY OBSERVED
  1. in present-time contexts after a past form in the principal clause when the reference is made to
a. the actual present time (I told her that we are always glad to see her) b. the actual past time (They left an hour ago. You said you didn’t want to go) c. the actual future time (Did you know they are coming tomorrow?)
  1. after a past form in the principal clause when we speak about the general truth (He understood how important the profession of a doctor is)
  2. with modal verbs which have only one form – MUST, SHOULD, OUGHT TO, NEED (I said I must be off)
  1. in object clauses (­)
  2. in subject and predicative clauses (It is strange how she left)
  3. in appositive clauses (She had the fear that smth terrible would happen)
  4. in clauses of purpose (He turned on the light so that everyone could see him)
  5. in simple sentences in the inner speech (It wasn’t actually as bad. Tom was to leave for college, but it didn’t mean Kelly would stay alone)
  6. in simple sentences with an inserted parenthetic sentence (It was all right, James thought to himself)

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