tense in reported speech

Question

I have a question about the tense in reported speech. Please look at the following sentences:

direct speech: He said, "John is honest."

inrect speech: He said that John was honest.

The last sentence uses "was", does that mean John is not honest now? If not, can we use "is" instead of "was" in the last sentence?

Please help me with my question, and I'd appreciate it.

Infinik · Accepted Answer

Viceidol
direct speech: He said, "John is honest."
inrect speech: He said that John was honest.

I think both sentenses are perfectly OK. The second one means that, John was honest at the time of speaking. So it does not imply whether John is honest now or not, we just can't tell from this sentense alone.

Viceidol · Answer

Thank you for your explanation! I umderstand now.

Heidita · Answer

Infinik
Viceidol
direct speech: He said, "John is honest."
inrect speech: He said that John was honest.
I think both sentences are perfectly OK. The second one means that, John was honest at the time of speaking. So it does not imply whether John is honest now or not, we just can't tell from this sentence alone.

I don't agree with this. Indirect speech follows a certain pattern. Present simple passes to past simple. Grammatically speaking, "he said that John is honest" would be incorrect.

cheers[H]

Marius Hancu · Answer

said he is
is correct, but not the strictest.

It's used when you want to make the said text more vivid.

From the BBC:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Abbc.co.uk+%22said+he+is%22+&btnG=Google+Search

Yoong Liat · Answer

direct speech: He said, "John is honest."

inrect (indirect) speech: He said that John was honest.

He said that John was honest (ok)

He said that John is honest is also correct if he thinks that John is an honest person.

Infinik · Answer

Marius Hancusaid he is
is correct, but not the strictest.

It's used when you want to make the said text more vivid.

Sounds rather informal to me, or, news-wise style...

Clive · Answer

Hi,

How long ago the original statement was made is very relevant. Was it said 30 years ago, or 30 seconds ago? eg

A: John is honest.

B, to his friend C: I didn't hear that. What did A say?

C: He said that John is honest.

This seems fine to me.

Best wishes, Clive

Heidita · Answer

CliveHi,

How long ago the original statement was made is very relevant. Was it said 30 years ago, or 30 seconds ago? eg

A: John is honest.

B, to his friend C: I didn't hear that. What did A say?

C: He said that John is honest.

This seems fine to me.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi Clive, I think the essence here is: Are we talking a bout an exam or "everyday talk"? If it's an exam, I woudl strongly advise against using is here, as in my experience it would surely be marked as a mistake.

cheers[H]

Kooyeen · Answer

HeiditaIf it's an exam, I woudl strongly advise against using is here, as in my experience it would surely be marked as a mistake.

If I heard a teacher say that using the present tense in reported speech was not ok and would be considered a mistake, I would definitely think they must not have a clue about English, wondering why they are even teaching it. It is not informal, it is not odd, it is not incorrect according to any rule.

He said John was sick.
He said John is sick.

That doesn't mean those two sentences are always interchangeable. A past tense ("was") gives you the fact as it was at that moment, and without context you can't know if anything has changed. A present tense ("is") gives you the fact as a fact that is relevant now, what the truth is now, or what you think is now the truth. So:

That morning in 1967, the doctor said my dad was very sick...<--- here "is" wouldn't make much sense.
I just met Jenny, and she told me her dad [was/is] sick...<--- here both are ok. Using "is" you would just be implying that you think he's still sick (you just met Jenny, so it's understandable), and presenting the fact so that it seems relevant now (you say what the fact is now, and not what the fact was when Jenny told you).

By the way, if you search this forum for reported speech, you'll find an awful lot of threads about this.
That's all, I'm tired...

Yankee · Answer

Any good grammar book will tell you that the simple present tense is frequently used and also perfectly acceptable in reported speech when you are reporting a general truth or a still current (still currently factual) situation.  In such cases, you can use either the simple past OR the simple present tense.

tense in reported speech

direct speech: He said, "John is honest."

inrect speech: He said that John was honest.

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direct speech: He said, "John is honest."

inrect speech: He said that John was honest.

direct speech: He said, "John is honest."

inrect speech: He said that John was honest.

inrect (indirect) speech: He said that John was honest.

He said that John was honest (ok)

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