Reported Speech

Lesson 6: When Backshift Is Not Required

Lesson: 6 of 8 | Level: 🟣 Upper-Intermediate

1. Lesson Overview

The rules of tense backshift presented in Lesson 2 are systematic and important — but they are not absolute. There are numerous clearly defined contexts in which backshift is not required, is optional, or would actually distort the meaning of the reported speech. Many learners — having been taught the backshift rules thoroughly — apply them mechanically in every context, producing reported speech that is technically over-corrected and sometimes misleading.

Understanding when not to backshift is just as important as knowing how to apply it correctly. This lesson examines every major context in which the original tense is retained — or may be retained — in reported speech, with as comprehensive a set of rules as possible.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify all the major contexts in which backshift is not required in reported speech
• Understand when backshift is optional and when it would distort the meaning
• Apply the correct tense in reported speech with genuine precision and flexibility
• Avoid the over-application of backshift that is one of the most common advanced errors

2. Core Content

A. When the Reporting Verb Is in the Present Tense

The most straightforward and most frequently applicable exception to backshift is when the reporting verb is in the present tense — says, states, reports, explains, argues, writes, finds. When the reporting verb is present, there is no shift in temporal perspective — the reporter is communicating the information now, and the tense of the original speech can be maintained without any change.

For example:

Darwin writes in his journal that the natural history of the islands is eminently curious and well deserves attention. The paper argues that deep-sea ecosystems are far more complex and biodiverse than was believed even twenty years ago. The report states that global temperatures have risen by approximately 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels.

In all three sentences, the reporting verb is in the present tense — writes, argues, states — and the tense of the reported clause is maintained unchanged. This is the academic present convention — used throughout academic and analytical writing when reporting the content of texts, studies, and arguments.

This convention applies equally to questions and directives — when the reporting verb is present, no transformation of tense is required.

B. When the Reported Situation Is Still True

When the original speech described a situation that is still true at the time of reporting — a fact that has not changed, a state that continues, a situation that remains current — backshift is optional. The speaker can choose to retain the original tense to signal that the information is still valid.

For example:

Direct: ‘Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.’ Reported (backshift applied): The teacher said that water boiled at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level. Reported (backshift not applied): The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level. ✅

Both versions are correct — but retaining the simple present (boils) signals more clearly that the fact is a permanent, timeless truth. Applying backshift (boiled) can make a permanent fact sound like a historical or temporary one.

Direct: ‘The Amazon basin contains approximately 10 per cent of all species on Earth.’ Reported: The ecologist said that the Amazon basin contains approximately 10 per cent of all species on Earth. ✅ (still true) Reported: The ecologist said that the Amazon basin contained approximately 10 per cent of all species on Earth. ✅ (also correct)

The choice between the two depends on the speaker’s or writer’s intention — retaining the present tense emphasises the ongoing truth of the statement; applying backshift presents it as what the speaker said at a particular moment.

C. Permanent Facts and Scientific Laws

When the reported speech contains a permanent fact, a scientific law, or an established universal truth — something that is true at all times and not subject to change — backshift is typically not applied, or is optional.

For example:

The scientist explained that light travels at approximately 300,000 kilometres per second in a vacuum. The teacher stated that the Earth orbits the Sun rather than the reverse. The textbook noted that DNA carries the genetic information of all known living organisms.

In all three examples, backshift has not been applied — and the present tense correctly signals that these are timeless facts rather than past states. Applying backshift — travelled, orbited, carried — would be technically correct but would subtly misrepresent these as things that were said about the past rather than permanent truths.

However, context matters. In a historical narrative — reporting what someone believed at a particular time in history — backshift may be appropriate even for facts, because the point is what the speaker believed then, not what is universally true.

People in the medieval period believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe. (historical belief — backshift appropriate)

D. When the Reported Speech Was Very Recent

When the time between the original speech and the reporting is very short — when someone said something moments or minutes ago and is being immediately reported — backshift is optional. The reported situation is so recent that it has not yet acquired any temporal distance.

For example:

Direct: ‘The instruments are showing anomalous readings.’ Reported (moments later): The technician just said the instruments are showing anomalous readings. ✅ (no backshift — very recent) Reported (also correct): The technician just said the instruments were showing anomalous readings. ✅ (backshift also possible)

In everyday spoken English, particularly in informal contexts, the present tense is frequently retained when reporting very recent speech — it gives the report a sense of immediacy and currency.

E. When the Situation Is Still in Progress

When the action or state described in the original speech is still in progress at the time of reporting — when it has not ended or changed — retaining the original tense signals this continuity.

For example:

Direct (said this morning): ‘Scientists are conducting a survey of the southern sector.’ Reported (this afternoon — survey still in progress): The team leader said that scientists are conducting a survey of the southern sector. ✅

Using backshift here — were conducting — would imply that the survey had ended, which is not the case. Retaining the present continuous correctly signals that the action is still in progress.

Direct: ‘The glacier is retreating at an accelerating rate.’ Reported (situation unchanged): The report noted that the glacier is retreating at an accelerating rate. ✅

F. When Backshift Would Create Ambiguity

There are contexts in which applying backshift would create genuine ambiguity — making it unclear whether the reported speaker meant the past or the present. In these cases, retaining the original tense is not only permitted but advisable.

For example:

Direct: ‘The team has already published three papers on this topic.’ Reported with backshift: She said that the team had already published three papers on this topic.

If had already published is used, it is ambiguous — the reader cannot be certain whether the three papers were published before the moment of speaking or whether they have since published more. Retaining the present perfect — has already published — makes it clear that the three papers represent the state of affairs up to the present moment.

G. In Conditional Sentences — The Third Conditional

When the reported speech contains a third conditional — a hypothetical reference to the past — the tenses of the conditional clauses already use past perfect and would have + past participle. Applying further backshift to these forms is not possible — they are already at the furthest point in the backshift system.

For example:

Direct: ‘If we had secured the funding, we would have extended the survey.’ Reported: The team leader said that if they had secured the funding, they would have extended the survey.

No further backshift is possible or required — had secured and would have extended remain unchanged.

H. After Reporting Verbs That Describe Ongoing or Current States

Certain reporting verbs describe states of belief, knowledge, or understanding that are ongoing — believe, know, think, understand, consider. When these verbs are used to report views that the speaker still holds at the time of reporting, the present tense is often retained in the reported clause.

For example:

Scientists believe that the deep ocean contains many species that have never been observed. Researchers know that hydrothermal vent communities depend entirely on chemosynthesis. The committee understands that the funding will be released within the next two weeks.

Even when the reporting verb is in the past tense, these constructions may retain the present tense in the reported clause if the view is still held.

The researcher said that she believes the methodology is sound. ✅ (she still believes this) The researcher said that she believed the methodology was sound. ✅ (standard backshift — also correct)

I. Quoted Thoughts and Internal Monologue

When reporting a character’s thoughts — in fiction or narrative — the author sometimes retains the present tense to represent the vividness and immediacy of the thought, a technique known as free indirect discourse or free indirect style.

For example:

Darwin stared at the finches. These birds were extraordinary. Each island seemed to have produced its own variety. What could account for such variation?

In this passage, the past tense narration (stared, were, seemed) is mixed with what is effectively Darwin’s thought (What could account for such variation?) — a technique that blurs the boundary between narration and reported internal speech.

J. In Academic Writing — Reporting Current Arguments and Findings

In academic writing, the academic present convention means that backshift is systematically avoided when reporting the content of texts, studies, and arguments that are currently relevant — regardless of when the text was written.

For example:

Darwin (1859) argues that natural selection is the primary mechanism driving evolutionary change. Smith and Jones (2020) find that bleaching events have become significantly more frequent over the past two decades. The study demonstrates that the rate of ocean acidification is accelerating.

All three examples use the present tense in the reporting clause — argues, find, demonstrates — and maintain the present tense in the reported content. This is the standard academic convention and no backshift is applied.

3. Usage in Context

• When the reporting verb is in the present tense, backshift does not apply — the original tense is maintained in the reported clause.

The paper argues that deep-sea ecosystems are among the most biodiverse environments on Earth, despite being the least well studied. Darwin states in his journal that the natural history of the islands is eminently curious and that it well deserves the attention of naturalists.

• When reporting permanent facts and scientific laws, the simple present is typically retained — backshift is optional but may make a universal truth sound unnecessarily historical.

The scientist explained that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The teacher noted that the speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 300,000 kilometres per second.

• When the reported situation is still true at the time of reporting, backshift is optional — retaining the original tense signals the ongoing validity of the information.

The ecologist noted that the Amazon basin contains approximately 10 per cent of all species on Earth — a figure that has not changed significantly since the estimate was first made. The researcher said that the monitoring network covers all twelve sites — it is still operational.

• When the reported speech was very recent, backshift is optional — retaining the present tense gives the report a sense of immediacy.

The team leader has just said that the data is ready for analysis. She just told me the submersible is back at the surface.

• When the reported action is still in progress at the time of reporting, retaining the original tense avoids the misleading implication that the action has ended.

The director told the committee that scientists are currently mapping the vent systems of the southern Indian Ocean. (are currently mapping — still in progress) The report stated that temperatures are continuing to rise at an accelerating rate. (are continuing — ongoing)

• When applying backshift would create ambiguity, retaining the original tense is clearer and more precise.

She said that the team has published three papers on this topic — and may publish more. (present perfect retained — state of affairs up to now) Retaining has published is clearer than had published which might suggest no further papers will follow.

• In third conditional sentences, no further backshift is possible — the forms remain unchanged in reported speech.

The team leader said that if they had secured additional funding, they would have been able to extend the survey to cover the full extent of the southern sector.

• After reporting verbs describing ongoing states of belief or knowledge, the present tense in the reported clause may be retained to signal that the view is still held.

The researcher said that she believes the methodology is sound and that she stands by the results. Scientists have always known that the deep ocean plays a role in regulating global temperature.

• In academic writing, use the academic present consistently when reporting the arguments and findings of texts and studies — regardless of when they were written.

Darwin (1859) proposes that all species are descended from common ancestors through the process of natural selection. Smith et al. (2022) demonstrate a clear correlation between rising sea surface temperatures and the frequency of mass bleaching events.

• Distinguish between backshift and no backshift on the basis of whether the reported situation is past (completed, changed, or no longer current) or present (still true, still in progress, or still relevant).

She said the glacier was retreating. (backshift — the statement refers to a past assessment, or the situation may have changed) She said the glacier is retreating. (no backshift — the situation is still ongoing and the information is still current)

• When reporting a speech act that described a future event — and that future event is still in the future at the time of reporting — retaining will or going to is permissible.

The director said that the findings will be published next month. (still in the future — will retained) The director said that the findings would be published the following month. (standard backshift — also correct)

• In informal speech, backshift is frequently not applied — particularly for very recent speech and for situations that are still current. This is natural and correct.

She says she needs more time to finish the analysis. He told me the meeting starts at nine.

4. Common Errors and Corrections

5. Lesson Mastery

After completing this lesson, you should now be able to:

    ✅ Identify all the major contexts in which backshift is not required in reported speech

    ✅ Understand when backshift is optional and when it would distort the meaning

    ✅ Apply the correct tense in reported speech with genuine precision and flexibility

    ✅ Avoid the over-application of backshift that is one of the most common advanced errors