7.49 tense of verb in reported clause

Whatever the tense of your reporting verb, you put the verb in the reported clause into a tense that is appropriate at the time that you are speaking.

If the event or situation described in the reported clause is in the past at the time that you are speaking, you use the simple past tense, the past continuous, or the present perfect: 'She said she enjoyed the course', 'She said she was enjoying the course' or 'She said she has enjoyed the course'.

• Dad explained that he had no money.
• She added that she was smoking too much.
• He says he has never seen a live shark in his life.

However, when the reporting verb is in a past tense, a past tense is also usually used for the verb in the reported clause even if the reported situation still exists. For example, you could say 'I told him I was eighteen' even if you are still eighteen. You are concentrating on the situation at the past time that you are talking about.

• He said he was English.

A present tense is sometimes used instead, to emphasize that the situation still exists.

• I told him that I don't drink more than anyone else.

If the event or situation was in the past at the time that the reported statement was made, or had existed up to that time, you use the past perfect tense: 'She said she had enjoyed the course.'

• He knew he had behaved badly.
• Mr Benn said that he had been in hospital at the time.

If the event or situation is still going on, you use a present tense if you are using a present tense of the reporting verb: 'She says she's enjoying the course.'

• Don't assume I'm a complete fool.
• He knows he's being watched.

If the event or situation was in the future at the time of the statement or is still in the future, you use a modal. See paragraphs 7.50 to 7.53, below.