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Question

Could you check whether both of (A) and (B) are okay in the following sentence though their meanings are different from each other? Thank you.

He said he [ (A) has not eaten / (B) had not eaten ] anything since yesterday morning.

MrGuedes · Accepted Answer

Well... To be absolutely correct, it should be: ‘He said he had not eaten anything since the previous morning.’ (or ‘the previous day in the morning’)

In the direct speech, the sentence would be: ‘He said, “I have not eaten anything since yesterday morning.”’ In the reported speech, you must make all present tenses into past. That is why you must say ‘he had not eaten’. The reason is that what you are saying may no longer be true right now, because you may be telling this story years from now! And you are saying that, at that time (when he spoke), he had not eaten since the morning of the previous day. ‘Has not eaten’ would imply ‘until now’; ‘had not eaten’ would imply ‘until then (the time when he spoke)’, which is what we want.

Fivejedjon · Answer

MrGuedesIn the direct speech, the sentence would be: ‘He said, “I have not eaten anything since yesterday morning.”’ In the reported speech, you must make all present tenses into past. That is why you must say ‘he had not eaten’

That is true only if the situation reported does not still apply. If it does, then backshifting is oprional, not obligatory.

MrGuedes‘Has not eaten’ would imply ‘until now’;

If that is the situation at the time of reporting, then it is fine.

MrGuedes · Answer

fivejedjonThat is true only if the situation reported does not still apply. If it does, then backshifting is optional, not obligatory.

OK. Maybe you're right. But I was trying to say that, in general, one should backshift. That is the general rule (just as I learnt it), and it allows for telling the story later and still being correct.

So, lucas21c, if you are saying that sentence in the same day in which the guy you referred to said it, and if he still has not eaten, then option (A) is acceptable. Otherwise (if a new day has started or if the guy has already eaten something), then option (A) is no longer true and, as I said, you must use option (B).

Fivejedjon · Answer

MrGuedes one should backshift. That is the general rule

That seems to suggest that backshifting is somehow better.

If learners are in any doubt, it is a good idea for them to backshift. That is almost never incorrect However, they need to know that there are many occasions on which many native speakers do not backshift, and this lack of backshifting is correct and natural.

Lucas21c · Answer

I think "He said he has not eaten anything since yesterday morning" means the speaker knows (when the speaker says that sentence) that "he" hasn't still been eating anything since "he" and the speaker met. On the other hand, "He said he had not eaten anything since yesterday morning" conveys the thought that the speaker doesn't know whether "he" hasn't eaten anything after "he" and the speaker met. So, both of "have not eaten" and "had not eaten" are correct in that sentence though they express different ideas. Could you confirm whether my whole guess is right?

Fivejedjon · Answer

Yes, except that even if the speaker knows that the person referred to has not eaten anything until the present moment , the past perfect version is still possible. tTe speaker is locating the reference-time of the reported words at the time they were said.

MrGuedes · Answer

fivejedjonThat seems to suggest that backshifting is somehow better.If learners are in any doubt, it is a good idea for them to backshift. That is almost never incorrect

Yes. That's what I meant.

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