Rule #2 of Changes in the Tenses| Direct & Indirect speech

Rule number 2 of the Changes in the Tenses is about the effect of the Past Tense in the Reporting Speech on the Reported Speech tense. The presence of the Past Tense in the Reporting Speech always leads to the change in the tense of the Reported Speech. The summary of this change in tenses due to Past Tense is as follows:

     Past Tense,” Present Indefinite Tense.”

                 Past Tense that Past Indefinite Tense.

     Past Tense, “Present Continuous Tense.”

                 Past Tense that Past Continuous Tense.

     Past Tense, “Present Perfect Tense.”

                 Past Tense that Past Perfect Tense.

Past Tense,” Present Perfect Continuous Tense.”

                Past Tense that Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

     Past Tense,” Past Indefinite Tense.”

                 Past Tense that Past Perfect Tense.

     Past Tense, “Past Continuous Tense.”

                  Past Tense that Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

     Past Tense,” Past Perfect Tense.”

                  Past Tense that Past Perfect Tense.

     Past Tense,” Past Perfect Continuous Tense.”

                  Past Tense that Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

     Past Tense,” Future Tense having will/ shall.”

                   Past tense that same sentence with would.

      Past Tense,” Universal Truth.”

                   Past Tense that Universal Truth.

The pronouns and other words are changed by following the following rules:

• General Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech
• Pronouns Changing Rules
• Other Words Changing Rules

Past Tense,” Present Indefinite Tense.”

When there is a Past Tense in the Reporting Speech and a Present Indefinite Tense in the Reported Speech, then the Present Indefinite Tense of the Reported Speech will convert into Past Indefinite Tense to form Indirect Narration from Direct Narration.

         This is done because the teller told the thing in the past, so, it is necessary for both Speeches (Reporting, Reported) to be in the past tense.  

Examples (Past Tense,” Present Indefinite Tense.”)

1. We said,” We play a match every day.”
   • We said that we played a match every day.
2. He said,” I eat apples.”
   • He said that he ate apples.
3. He said,” I go out for a walk in the morning.”
   • He said that he went out for a walk in the morning.
4. They said to us,” You play hockey daily in this playground.”
   • They said to us that we played hockey daily in that playground.
5. We said to her,” You do not like him very much.”
   • We said to her that she did not like him very much.
6. He said to me,” I do not play with you.”
   • He said to me that he did not play with me.
7. He said to them,” They do not go shopping.”
   • He said to them that they did not go shopping.
8. He said,” I play tennis very well.”
   • He said that he played tennis very well.
9. We said,” He does not know how to sing.”
   • We said that he did not know how to sing.
10. She said,” This idea sounds good.”
    • She said that that idea sounded good.
11. They said,” She wants to go to London for this Winter vacation to enjoy the snowing.”
    • They said that she wanted to go to London for that Winter Vacation to enjoy snowing
12. He said,” They do not help me in learning my lesson.”
    • He said that they did not help him in learning his lesson.
13. She said to him,” I look after my mother.”
    • She said to him that she looked after her mother.
14. We said,” He does not take his medicine on time.”
    • We said that he did not take his medicine on time.
15. He said,” I write a letter daily to my mother to enquire about her health.”
    • He said that he wrote a letter daily to his mother to enquire about her health.

Past Tense, “Present Continuous Tense.”

The Past Tense in the Reporting Speech changes the Present Continuous Tense of the Reported Speech into Past Continuous Tense.

Examples (Past Tense, “Present Continuous Tense.”)

1. He said,” I am eating apples.”
   • He said that he was eating apples.
2. He said to him,” You are going for a walk on the river.”
   • He said to him that he was going for a walk on a river.
3. She said,” My father is going with me.”
   • She said that her father is going with her.
4. They said to him,” She is playing with her doll.”
   • They said to him that she was playing with her doll.
5. We said to you,” You are not good at your studies.”
   • We said to you that you were not good at your studies.
6. You said to me,” You are making dinner.”
   • You said to me that I was making dinner.
7. He said to her,” You are very good at cooking.
   • He said to her that she was very good at cooking.
8. You said to them,” You are absent from class today.”
   • You said to them that they were absent from class that day.
9. He said to us,” Teacher is not present today.”
   • He said to us that teacher was not present that day.
10. He said to her.” I am not like these pair of shoes.”
    • He said to her that he was not like those pairs of shoes.
11. We said,” She is not taking her medicine.”
    • We said that she was not taking her medicine.
12. They said,” Apples are very sweet in taste.”
    • They said that apples were very sweet in taste.
13. We said to her,” He is not a good Cricket player.”
    • We said to her that he was not a good Cricket player.
14. He said to me,” I am not your enemy.”
    • He said to me that he was not my enemy.
15. We said to them,” You are not part of this Welfare Campaign.”
    • We said to them that they were not part of that Welfare Campaign.

Past Tense, “Present Perfect Tense.”

            The Present Perfect Tense of the Reported Speech has been changed into Past Perfect Tense due to the Reporting Speech being in the Past Tense.

Examples (Past Tense, “Present Perfect Tense.”)

1. She said to me,” I have checked my email.”
   • She said to me that she had checked her email.
2. He said to them,” The teacher has marked them absent.”
   • He said to them that the teacher had marked them absent.
3. They said,” We have not seen Murree yet.”
   • They said that they had not seen Murree yet.
4. You said to them,” I have eaten oranges.”
   • You said to them that you had eaten oranges.
5. We said to him,” She has chosen her dress from this shop.”
   • We said to him that she had chosen her dress from that shop.
6. He said to me,” He has not broken this jug.”
   • He said to me that he had not broken that jug.
7. She said to us,” You have not qualified for the final exams.”
   • She said to us that we had not qualified for the final exams.
8. You said,” I have done my MBBS degree and now do my house job.”
   • You said that you had done your MBBS degree and did your house job then.
9. She said,” I have bought the prettiest doll in the World.
   • She said that she had bought the prettiest doll in the World.
10. We said,” We have not tasted the food of this restaurant.”
    • We said that we had not tasted the food of that restaurant.
11. She said,” The teacher has taken the roll call.”
    • She said that the teacher had taken the roll call.
12. He said,” I have taken a ball.”
    • He said that he had taken a ball.
13. They said,” We have bought a bungalow in Murree.”
    • They said that they had bought a bungalow in Murree.
14. He said,” I have eaten apples.”
    • He said that he had eaten apples.
15. They said to her,” You have failed your final exams.”
    • They said to her that she had failed her final exams.

Past Tense,” Present Perfect Continuous Tense.”

If there is a Present Perfect Continuous Tense in the Reported Speech and a Past tense in the Reporting Speech, then the Present Perfect Continuous Tense of the Reported Speech becomes the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

Examples (Past Tense,” Present Perfect Continuous Tense.”)

1. They said,” We have been working since morning.”
   • They said that they had been working since morning.
2. We said to him,” You have not been taking your medicines for long.”
   • We said to him that he had not been taking his medicines for long.
3. He said to her,” I have been working in this factory.”
   • He said to her that he had been working in that factory.
4. She said to me,” You have been eating apples since morning.”
   • She said to me that I had been eating apples since morning.
5. They said,” We have not been going for a walk to the river.”
   • They said that they had not been going for a walk to the river.
6. He said to them,” You have been living in this house for three years.”
   • He said to them that they had been living in that house for three years.
7. They said,” We have been eating rice since last evening.”
   • They said that they had been eating rice since last evening.
8. They said,” We have not been going to school on foot.”
   • They said that they had not been going to school on foot.
9. We said,” It has been raining in London since midnight.”
   • We said that it had been raining in London since midnight.
10. She said to her,” You have been going to this parlor for a long.”
    • She said to her that she had been going to that parlor for a long.
11. He said,” I have already been eating apples.”
    • He said that he had already been eating apples.
12. She said,” I have been eating rice since last evening.”
    • She said that she had eating rice since last evening.

Past Tense,” Past Indefinite Tense.”

The Past Indefinite Tense (Reported Speech) is changed into the Past Perfect Tense in the presence of Past Tense in the Reporting speech.

Examples (Past Tense,” Past Indefinite Tense.”)

1. They said to him,” You played Cricket very well.”
   • They said to him that he had played Cricket very well.
2. He said to her,” You wrote a letter to my uncle.”
   • He said to her that she had written a letter to his uncle.
3. They said,” She bought a beautiful pair of shoes from this shop.”
   • They said that she had bought a beautiful pair of shoes from that shop.
4. He said,” I played hockey yesterday in this playground.”
   • He said that he had played hockey in that playground the previous day.
5. We said to him,” She quit this job early this month.”
   • We said to him that she had quit that job early that month.
6. She said,” I ate apples.”
   • She said that she had eaten apples.
7. He said to us,” You played a match against my school.”
   • He said to us that we had played a match against his school.
8. They said,” We went to the zoo on our bicycles.”
   • They said that they had gone to the zoo on their bicycles.
9. He said to her,” You did not help me in learning my lesson.”
   • He said to her that she had not helped him in learning his lesson.
10. He said,” I wrote a letter to my uncle.”
    • He said that he had written a letter to his uncle.

Past Tense, “Past Continuous Tense.”

Past Tense in the Reporting Speech converts the Past Continuous Tense of the Reported Speech into Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

Examples (Past Tense, “Past Continuous Tense.”)

1. He said to him,” You were not learning this poem.”
   • He said to him that he had not been learning that poem.
2. She said,” I was reading a strange story last night.”
   • She said that she has been reading a strange story last night.
3. They said to her,” Your father was going with us to see the movie.”
   • They said to her that her father had been going with them to see the movie.
4. We said,” He was going to school on foot.”
   • We said that he had been going to school on foot.
5. I said to him,” I was going to the zoo on my bicycle.”
   • I said to him that I had been going to the zoo on my bicycle.
6. He said to her,” It was the Quaid’s birthday yesterday.”
   • He said to her that it had been Quaid’s birthday the previous day.
7. She said,” I was eating apples.”
   • She said that she had been eating apples.
8. You said to me,” I was playing tennis with her.”
   • You said to me that you had been playing tennis with her.
9. They said,” We were going to the zoo on our bicycles.”
   • They said that they had been going to the zoo on their bicycles.
10. They said,” We were going to school on foot.”
    • They said that they had been going to school on foot.

Past Tense,” Past Perfect Tense.”

Past Tense in the Reporting Speech does not change the Past Perfect Tense in the Reported Speech.

Examples (Past Tense,” Past Perfect Tense.”)

1. He said,” I had done my job.”
   • He said that he had done his job.
2. They said,” We had already eaten apples.”
   • They said that they had already eaten apples.
3. We said,” They had reached the station.”
   • We said that they had reached the station.
4. She said,” He had adopted 2 sons from his brother.”
   • She said that he had adopted 2 sons from his brother.
5. He said,” She had taken tea before the guests arrived.”
   • He said that she had taken tea before the guests had arrived.
6. They said to her,” You had not completed your assignment.”
   • They said to her that she had not completed her assignment.
7. We said to them,” You had not submitted your admission form yet.”
   • We said to them that they had not submitted their admission form yet.
8. He said to her,” You had not visited the clinic.”
   • He said to her that she had not visited the clinic.
9. She said to me,” I had changed my clothes before I went to school.”
   • She said to me that she had changed her clothes before she had gone to school.
10. The doctor said,” I had already seen many patients.”
    • The doctor said that he had already seen many patients.

Past Tense,” Past Perfect Continuous Tense.”

Past Perfect Continuous Tense in the Reported Speech also does not change due to the presence of Past Tense in the Reporting Speech.

Examples (Past Tense,” Past Perfect Continuous Tense.”)

1. He said,” They had been sleeping since morning.”
   • He said that they had been sleeping since morning.
2. You said to me,” You had been performing this job for a long.”
   • You said to me that I had been performing that job for a long.
3. He said to us,” She had been playing tennis with him.”
   • He said to us that she had been playing tennis with him.
4. She said,” I had been eating apples since morning.”
   • She said that she had been eating apples since morning.
5. They said to him,” We had been living in your house for three years.”
   • They said to him that they had been living in his house for three years.
6. We said,” We had been working since morning.”
   • We said that we had been working since morning.

Past Tense,” Future Tense having will/ shall.”

“Will/ Shall” of the Future Tense is converted into “would” due to the presence of the Past Tense in the Reporting Speech.  

Examples (Past Tense,” Future Tense having will/ shall.”)

1. You said,” I shall eat apples.”
   • You said that you would eat apples.
2. They said,” We shall be eating apples.”
   • They said that they would be eating apples.
3. They said,” We shall have eaten apples.”
   • They said that they would have eaten apples.
4. They said,” We shall have already been eating apples.”
   • They said that they would have already been eating apples.
5. She said to me,” I shall look after my mother.”
   • She said to me that she would look after her mother.
6. She said to us,” I shall change my clothes before I go to school.”
   • She said to us that she would change her clothes before she went to school.
7. Father said to us,” I shall be going to Murree to see your uncle.”
   • Father said to us that he would be going to Murree to see our uncle.
8. The doctor said to him,” She will not test your eyes.”
   • The doctor said to him that she would not test his eyes.
9. Faisal said,” I shall leave for Karachi early next month.”
   • Faisal said that he would leave for Karachi early next month.
10. He said,” I shall be doing my duty without fail.”
    • He said that he would be doing his duty without fail.
11. She said,” It will have been raining in London since midnight.”
    • She said that it would have been raining in London since midnight.

Past Tense,” Universal Truth.”

Past Tense in the Reporting Speech does not affect the Tense of the Universal Truth.

Examples (Past Tense,” Universal Truth.”)

1. He said,” Greed is a curse.”
   • He said that greed is a curse.
2. They said,” Tit for tat.”
   • They said that tit for tat.
3. They said,” The sun rises in the east.”
   • They said that the sun rises in the east.
4. I said to them,” God helps those who help themselves.”
   • I said to them that God helps those who help themselves.
5. He said,” Man is mortal.”
   • He said that man is mortal.
6. The teacher said to the students,” History repeats itself.”
   • The teacher said to the students that history repeats itself.
7. She said,” The earth moves around the sun.”
   • She said that the earth moves around the sun.
8. They said,” East or West, home is best.”
   • They said that East or West, home is best.