Tense Backshift Rules in Narration
What You Will Learn
- In this lesson, you will learn:
Look at this sentence:
He said, “I am tired.”
Now look at the indirect form:
He said that he was tired.
What changed here
The verb changed:
am became was
This is called backshift.
In narration, when the reporting verb is in the past, the tense of the reported speech usually goes one step back.
This is one of the most important ideas in narration.
What Is Backshift
Backshift means the tense goes one step back.
Easy idea:
Present goes back to past
Past goes back to past perfect
So when a sentence moves from direct speech to indirect speech, the verb often moves backward.
Example:
He said, “I feel tired.”
He said that he felt tired.
Here:
feel became felt
The verb moved one step back.
Main Rule
If the reporting verb is in the present, tense usually does not change.
If the reporting verb is in the past, tense usually changes.
Example 1
He says, “I am tired.”
He says that he is tired.
Here, says is present.
So the tense does not change.
Example 2
He said, “I am tired.”
He said that he was tired.
Here, said is past.
So the tense changes.
This is the main rule you must remember first.
Rule 1: Reporting Verb Present হলে Tense Usually Does Not Change
When the reporting verb is present, we usually keep the tense as it is.
Example 1
She says, “I like tea.”
She says that she likes tea.
Example 2
The teacher says, “I am checking your work.”
The teacher says that she is checking our work.
Example 3
Rafi says, “I have finished my homework.”
Rafi says that he has finished his homework.
So first check the reporting verb.
If it is present, do not backshift the tense.
Rule 2: Reporting Verb Past হলে Tense Usually Changes
When the reporting verb is past, the tense usually goes one step back.
This is the backshift rule.
Common Changes
V1 becomes V2
V2 becomes had plus V3
am, is, are become was, were
have, has become had
will becomes would
can becomes could
may becomes might
Simple idea:
Present goes to past
Past goes to past perfect
Important idea:
When the reporting verb is past, the tense of the reported speech usually moves one step back.
Let us understand each change with examples.
V1 to V2
When the direct speech has a present form, it usually changes into a past form.
Example 1
He said, “I play football.”
He said that he played football.
Here:
play became played
Example 2
Mina said, “I like flowers.”
Mina said that she liked flowers.
Here:
like became liked
Example 3
Rafi said, “I feel happy.”
Rafi said that he felt happy.
Here:
feel became felt
So remember:
V1 goes back to V2
am, is, are to was, were
Example 1
He said, “I am tired.”
He said that he was tired.
Example 2
She said, “I am busy.”
She said that she was busy.
Example 3
They said, “We are ready.”
They said that they were ready.
So:
am becomes was
is becomes was
are becomes were
have, has to had
Example 1
He said, “I have finished my work.”
He said that he had finished his work.
Example 2
Mina said, “I have seen the film.”
Mina said that she had seen the film.
Example 3
The boy said, “He has gone home.”
The boy said that he had gone home.
So:
have becomes had
has becomes had
V2 to had plus V3
When the direct speech already has a past form, it usually goes one step further back.
Example 1
He said, “I went to school.”
He said that he had gone to school.
Here:
went became had gone
Example 2
Rina said, “I saw the bird.”
Rina said that she had seen the bird.
Here:
saw became had seen
Example 3
The boy said, “I ate the mango.”
The boy said that he had eaten the mango.
Here:
ate became had eaten
So remember:
V2 goes back to had plus V3
will to would
Example 1
He said, “I will come.”
He said that he would come.
Example 2
Mina said, “I will help you.”
Mina said that she would help me.
So:
will becomes would
can to could
Example 1
He said, “I can swim.”
He said that he could swim.
Example 2
Rafi said, “I can do it.”
Rafi said that he could do it.
So:
can becomes could
may to might
Example 1
He said, “I may go.”
He said that he might go.
Example 2
She said, “I may visit you.”
She said that she might visit me.
So:
may becomes might
One Sentence Step by Step
Let us study one sentence carefully.
Sentence:
He said, “I am tired.”
Step 1
Check the reporting verb.
It is said.
Step 2
said is past, so backshift is needed.
Step 3
am goes one step back to was.
Step 4
I changes to he.
Final answer:
He said that he was tired.
Another Step by Step Example
Sentence:
The boy said, “I went home.”
Step 1
Check the reporting verb.
It is said.
Step 2
said is past, so backshift is needed.
Step 3
went is a past form, so it goes one step back to had gone.
Step 4
I changes to he.
Final answer:
The boy said that he had gone home.
Universal Truth Rule
If the reported speech expresses a universal truth, scientific fact, or proverb, the tense usually does not change.
Example 1
The teacher said, “The earth moves round the sun.”
The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
Example 2
The scientist said, “Water boils at one hundred degrees Celsius.”
The scientist said that water boils at one hundred degrees Celsius.
Example 3
Father said, “Honesty is the best policy.”
Father said that honesty is the best policy.
Explanation:
These are general truths.
So we do not backshift them.
Past Perfect Rule
Past perfect usually does not change.
Why
Because past perfect already shows an earlier past action.
So it usually does not go further back.
Example 1
He said, “I had finished my work.”
He said that he had finished his work.
Example 2
Mina said, “I had seen the film before.”
Mina said that she had seen the film before.
Example 3
The boy said, “I had gone there.”
The boy said that he had gone there.
So remember:
had plus V3 usually stays had plus V3
The Two Most Important Exceptions
There are two very important places where you often do not backshift:
Universal truths
Past perfect forms
If you remember these two exceptions, you will avoid many mistakes.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1
Not backshifting when the reporting verb is past.
Wrong:
He said that he is tired.
Correct:
He said that he was tired.
Mistake 2
Backshifting when the reporting verb is present.
Wrong:
He says that he was tired.
Correct:
He says that he is tired.
Mistake 3
Forgetting V2 to had plus V3.
Wrong:
He said that he went home.
Correct:
He said that he had gone home.
Mistake 4
Changing universal truth unnecessarily.
Wrong:
The teacher said that the earth moved round the sun.
Correct:
The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
Mistake 5
Changing past perfect again.
Wrong:
He said that he had had finished the work.
Correct:
He said that he had finished the work.
Quick Revision
Remember these backshift rules:
If the reporting verb is present, tense usually does not change.
If the reporting verb is past, tense usually goes one step back.
V1 becomes V2.
V2 becomes had plus V3.
am, is, are become was, were.
have, has become had.
will becomes would.
can becomes could.
may becomes might.
Universal truth usually does not change.
Past perfect usually does not change.
Practice
A. Change into indirect speech
1. He said, “I am happy.”
2. Mina said, “I like mangoes.”
3. The boy said, “I have finished my homework.”
4. Rafi said, “I went to Dhaka.”
5. The girl said, “I will come.”
6. He said, “I can help you.”
7. Mina said, “I may go there.”
8. The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east.”
9. He said, “I had finished my work.”
10. She said, “I saw the bird.”
B. Fill in the blanks
1. When the reporting verb is past, the tense usually goes one step ______
2. V1 usually changes to ______
3. V2 usually changes to ______ plus V3
4. will usually changes to ______
5. can usually changes to ______
6. may usually changes to ______
7. A universal truth usually does not ______
8. Past perfect usually stays the ______
C. Choose the correct answer
1. In narration, am usually becomes
was
had
would
2. In narration, went usually becomes
go
had gone
would go
3. In narration, have usually becomes
had
has
was
4. Universal truth usually
changes into past
does not change
changes into future
5. Past perfect usually
changes again
stays the same
becomes V2
Answers
A.
1. He said that he was happy.
2. Mina said that she liked mangoes.
3. The boy said that he had finished his homework.
4. Rafi said that he had gone to Dhaka.
5. The girl said that she would come.
6. He said that he could help me.
7. Mina said that she might go there.
8. The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
9. He said that he had finished his work.
10. She said that she had seen the bird.
B.
1. back
2. V2
3. had
4. would
5. could
6. might
7. change
8. same
C.
1. was
2. had gone
3. had
4. does not change
5. stays the same
Self Check
Now ask yourself:
Can I explain what backshift means
Can I tell when backshift is needed
Can I change V1 into V2
Can I change V2 into had plus V3
Can I remember the exceptions of universal truth and past perfect
Homework
Write six direct speech sentences using these verbs:
play
am
have finished
went
will go
can swim
Then change them into indirect speech using the backshift rules.