Reported Speech II: Tense patterns in reporting universal truths

When reporting someone’s words in English, we usually change the tense. For example, if someone says, “The sun is shining,” we would report it as, “He said the sun was shining.” However, there are times when we do not change the tense in reported speech. One of those times is when we are reporting universal truths.

What are universal truths?

Universal truths are facts that are always true, no matter when or where they are said. These facts do not change over time, so when we report them, we keep their original tense.

For example, imagine a science teacher says:

• “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.”

If we report this statement, we do not change the tense because it is a scientific fact:

• He said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

If we had changed the tense to boiled, it would sound as if this fact is no longer true, which is incorrect.

More examples of reported universal truths

Let’s look at more cases where the tense does not change in reported speech:

1. Mathematical and Scientific Facts
   • Direct speech: “The Earth revolves around the sun.”
   • Reported speech: He said that the Earth revolves around the sun.
   • Direct speech: “Two plus two equals four.”
   • Reported speech: She said that two plus two equals four.
2. General Truths About Life
   • Direct speech: “Honesty is the best policy.”
   • Reported speech: My father always told me that honesty is the best policy.
   • Direct speech: “The heart pumps blood.”
   • Reported speech: The doctor explained that the heart pumps blood.
3. Religious and Philosophical Truths
   • Direct speech: “God is merciful.”
   • Reported speech: The preacher said that God is merciful.
   • Direct speech: “Kindness brings happiness.”
   • Reported speech: She told me that kindness brings happiness.

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When do we change the tense?

If the original statement is not a universal truth, we change the tense in reported speech. For example:

• Direct speech: “I love this song.”
• Reported speech: She said that she loved that song.

Here, “I love this song” is a personal feeling, not a universal truth. That is why we change love to loved.

Why does this rule matter?

If we change the tense of universal truths, we might confuse the listener. Imagine someone reporting:

• “He said the Earth revolved around the sun.”

This sounds like the Earth used to revolve around the sun but does not anymore! That would be scientifically incorrect. Keeping the original tense ensures the meaning remains clear.

In reported speech, we normally shift tenses backward. But when we report universal truths—such as scientific facts, mathematical rules, general life principles, and religious beliefs—the tense remains the same. This is because these truths never change, and changing the tense could make them sound incorrect.