Reported speech & simple present
For reported speech, do you always use the simple past or is the simple present also used?
If so, would you please give me some examples?
Thank you.
P.S. Would you please check if what I have written in the message above is correctly written? Thank you
Top answer
If the reporting verb is in a present tense , for example, Peter tells me (that) , we use the same tense in the reported speech as the original speaker used. If the reporting verb is in a past tense , for example, Peter told me (that) , we normally backshift the tenses the original speaker used, for example, present simple/progressive/perfect become past simple/progressive/perfect.
- If the reporting verb is in a present tense , for example, Peter tells me (that) , we use the same tense in the reported speech as the original speaker used.
- If the reporting verb is in a past tense , for example, Peter told me (that) , we normally backshift the tenses the original speaker used, for example, present simple/progressive/perfect become past simple/progressive/perfect.
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If the reporting verb is in a present tense , for example, Peter tells me (that), we use the same tense in the reported speech as the original speaker used.
If the reporting verb is in a past tense , for example, Peter told me (that), we normally backshift the tenses the original speaker used, for example, present simple/progressive/perfect become past simple/progressi
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