One Tense Back and Reported Speech

Tense Changes When Using Reported Speech (Modified from:  http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/tense-changes-when-using-reported-speech/)

Normally, the tense in reported speech is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech:
        She said, "I am tired." = She said that she was tired.

This is the “One Tense Back” rule many of you have learned, and it is safest to use this for the IELTS test.  In the real world, however, there are times the rule is not followed, and you may hear or read cases where the tense is not changed between direct speech and reported speech.  This often happens when the reporting verb is in the present or future, and the original statement was about something that is still true:

• He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
• We explained that it is very difficult to find our house.

Phrase in Direct Speech	Safest for IELTS Test:  Reported Speech The “One Tense Back” Rule	In Real World Usage, You Will Often Hear or Read No Change in Tense
Simple present She said, "I always drink coffee.”	Simple past She said that she always drank coffee.	She said she always drinks coffee. This is OK if the statement is about something that is in the present and is still true.
Present continuous He said, "I am reading a book."	Past continuous He said that he was reading a book	He said that he is reading a book.  This is OK if he’s still reading the book right now.
Simple past He said, "Bill arrived on Saturday.”	Past perfect He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday.
Present perfect He told me, "I have been to Spain.”	Past perfect He told me that he had been to Spain.
Past perfect He said, "I had just turned out the light.”	Past perfect He said that he had just turned out the light.
Present perfect continuous They complained, "We have been waiting for hours.”	Past perfect continuous They complained that they had been waiting for hours.
Past continuous They told me, "We were living in Paris.”	Past perfect continuous They told me that they had been living in Paris.
Future He said, "I will be in Geneva on Monday.”	Present conditional He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday.	He said that he will be in Geneva on Monday. This is OK if Monday is in the future and still true.
Future continuous She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday.”	Conditional continuous She said that she would be using the car next Friday.	She said that she’ll be using the car next Friday. This is OK if Friday is in the future and still true.

These modal verbs do not change in reported speech: might, could, would, should, ought to:

• We explained, "It could be difficult to find our house." = We explained that it could be difficult to find our house.
• She said, "I might bring a friend to the party." = She said that she might bring a friend to the party.

Backshift (from https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/reported-speech-backshift.htm)

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
He said: "I feel sad."	He said that he felt sad.

In simple terms, the structure of reported speech is:

reporting clause [+ conjunction] + reported clause

reporting clause	conjunction	reported clause
John said	(that)	he was hungry.
John's original words: "I am hungry."

We sometimes change the tense of the reported clause by moving it back one tense. For example, present simple goes back one tense to past simple. We call this change "backshift.”

When do we use backshift?

We use backshift when it is logical to use backshift. So, for example, if two minutes ago John said "I am hungry" and I am now telling his sister, I might NOT use backshift (because John is still hungry):

• John just said that he is hungry.

But if yesterday John said "I am hungry" and I am now telling his sister, I would likely use backshift:

• Yesterday, John said that he was hungry.
  [We hope that John has eaten since yesterday.]

So we use backshift SOMETIMES but not always.  If or when we use backshift, here's how it works with these common tenses and modals:

Backshift
This	Goes Back to This
present simple	→	past simple
present continuous	→	past continuous
past simple	→	past perfect
present perfect
past continuous	→	past perfect continuous
can	→	could
may		might
will		would
shall		should

We NEVER use backshift when the original words are:

• past perfect
• could
• might
• would
• should

Remember:

• If a situation is still true, backshift is optional.
• For a general truth there is no need for backshift.
•  

Look at the following examples. See if you can understand when and why they use backshift:

Tenses and Modals	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
present simple*	He said, "I like coffee."	He said (that) he likes coffee.
		He said (that) he liked coffee.
present continuous*	She said, "Moo is living here with us."	She said Moo is living there with them.
		She said Moo was living there with them.
past simple	John said, "We bought a house last week."	John said they had bought a house the week before.
present perfect	Ram said, "I haven't seen Avatar."	Ram said he hadn't seen Avatar.
past continuous	Wayne said, "Were you watching TV when I called."	Wayne asked if I had been watching TV when he called.
past perfect**	Ati said, "I had never lived in Thailand before."	Ati told us that he had never lived in Thailand before.
can	She said, "Tara can't swim."	She said Tara couldn't swim.
		She said Tara can't swim.
could**	He said, "Could you swim when you were three?"	He asked me if I could swim when I was three.
may	She said: "I may be late."	She said she might be late. (and she was late)
		She said she may be late. (the time to be late has not yet arrived)
might**	She said, "I might come early."	She said she might come early.
will	She said, "I'll call you tomorrow."	She said she would call me the next day.
		She said she will call me tomorrow. (tomorrow has not come)
would**	She said, "I wouldn't like to go."	She said she would not like to go.
shall	He said: "Shall I open the door?"	He asked if he should open the door.
should**	John said, "You should come here."	John said I should go there.
must	The kidnapper phoned me and said: "You must come here now."	The kidnapper phoned me and said I had to go there then.
	Ati said, "I must find a job next year."	Ati said he must find a job next year. (next year hasn't come yet)
have to	Tara said: "I have to do my homework."	Tara said she had to do her homework.
		Tara says she has to do her homework.

* if still true, change is optional (sometimes a matter of emphasis)
** never changes