- •Grammar Revision Tables terminology of English grammar
- •Nouns: singular and plural
- •Nouns: common and possessive case
- •Count and noncount nouns
- •Some common noncount nouns
- •Using nouns as modifiers
- •The indefinite article
- •The definite article
- •No article
- •Personal pronouns
- •Possessive pronouns
- •Reflexive pronouns
- •Indefinite pronouns
- •Quantitive pronouns
- •Demonstrative pronouns
- •Degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs
- •Numerals
- •Numbers in measurement
- •Особові форми дієслова finite forms of the verb
- •Indefinite tenses (to work, to write)
- •Continuous tenses (to work, to write)
- •Perfect tenses (to work, to write)
- •Perfect continuous tenses (to work, to write)
- •The functions of the verb «to be»
- •The functions of the verb «to have»
- •The functions of the verb «to do»
- •General Questions
- •Tag questionS
- •Question words
- •More questions with How
- •Summary chart of verb tenses Active Voice
- •Passive Voice
- •Passive Voice Present
- •Modal verbs Can; could; to be able to
- •May; might
- •Must; be to; have to; have got to
- •Should; ought to
- •Will; would
- •Indefinite pronoun «one»
- •The pronouNs «both, either and neither»
- •Sequence of Tenses Direct and Indirect Speech
- •The Infinitive
- •Reference list of verbs followed by infinitives
- •The Prepositional Infinitive Complex
- •The Objective Infinitive complex
- •The Subjective Infinitive complex
- •The Participle
- •Complexes with the Participle the Objective Participle complex
- •The subjective Participle complex
- •The absolute Participle complex
- •The Gerund. Forms and Functions
- •Reference list of verbs followed by gerunds
- •The Gerundial complex
- •Conditional sentences
- •Irregular VerBs
Sequence of Tenses Direct and Indirect Speech
If the main verb of the sentence is in the present, no change is made in the verb tense or modal in the object clause.
|
If the main verb of the sentence is in the past, the verb in the object clause is usually also in a past form. |
He sais (that) he works hard. |
He said (that) he worked hard. |
He sais (that) he is working hard. |
He said (that) he was working hard. |
If the action of the object clause is simultaneous with that of the principal clause, the Past Indefinite or the Past Continuous is used in the object clause no matter which Past tense-aspect form is found in the principal clause. | |
He sais (that) he worked hard. |
He said (that) he had worked hard. |
He sais (that) he was working hard. |
He said (that) he had been working hard. |
He sais (that) she has already left. |
He said (that) she had already left. |
If the action of the object clause precedes that of the principal clause, the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous is used in the object clause no matter which Past tense-aspect form is found in the principal clause. | |
He sais (that) he will work hard. |
He said (that) he would work hard. |
He sais (that) he will have finished the work by September. |
He said (that) he would have finished the work by September. |
He sais (that) he will be working hard all day long. |
He said (that) he would be working hard all day long. |
If the action of the object clause follows that of the principal clause, the Future- in-the-Past or one of the other means of expressing future actions viewed from the past is used in the object clause no matter which Past tense-aspect form is found in the principal clause. | |
He sais (that) he is going to work hard. |
He said (that) he was going to work hard. |
He sais (that) he can work hard. |
He said (that) he could work hard. |
He sais (that) he may work hard. |
He said (that) he might work hard. |
He sais (that) he has to work hard. |
He said (that) he had to work hard. |
He sais (that) he must work hard. |
He said (that) he had to work hard. |
He sais (that) he should work hard. |
He said (that) he should work hard. |
He sais (that) he ought to work hard. |
He said (that) he ought to work hard. |
The rules of sequence of tenses cannot be observed with certain modal verbs which have only one form. (must, should, ought and need) |