Punctuation Conjunction that Exclamation
Move Move
x-----------------------------x-----------------------------x
Past Perfect Simple Past
Simple Present Past Perfect Continuous
Past Continuous Present Continuous
Past Perfect Present Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Continuous
Move Move
x-----------------------------x-----------------------------x
Past Future Perfect Past Future
Simple Future Past Future Perfect Continuous
Future Continuous Future Continuous
Future Perfect Future Perfect
Future Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
Figure 2.1 The Tenses Movement in Reported Speech
From figure 2.1 above, there is one tense back movement of reported clause Alexander, 1990. The change of tense in the reported speech clause is
accomplished by a process called tense harmony. Tense harmony or “back shifting” is the pushing back in time of the tense of the reported speech to agree with the tense
of the reporting verb Celce-Murcia Larsen-Freeman, 1983. Examples:
Direct speech: He said, ‘I have lost my umbrella.’ Reported speech: He said that he had lost his umbrella.
Direct speech: She says, ‘I help my parents at home everyday.’ Reported speech: She says that she helps her parents at home everyday.
From the first example above, the reporting clause He said is past tense. By following the rule, therefore, the reported clause changes into past perfect tense he
had lost his umbrella. Whereas in the second example, the tense of the reported
clause does not change because the reporting clause She says is simple present tense. The important thing, which students must notice in this case, is they have to master
18 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
every pattern of tense so that they can convert direct speech into reported speech correctly.