# Moving Tenses Back: Rules and Examples | SwaVid

Moving tenses back: rules, worked examples and a quick check for Class 6 to 12 English grammar, CBSE and ICSE. Free practice on SwaVid.

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# Moving tenses back: rules and examples

## The rule, step by step

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### What is the rule for moving tenses back?

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Short answer. When the reporting verb is in the past, like said, the verb in the reported words usually moves one step back in time. Is becomes was, and likes becomes liked.

1 . Choose the right verb. Nina said, "The bus has left." Nina said that the bus ___.

A past reporting verb pulls the tense one step back.

When the reporting verb is in the past, like said, the verb in the reported words usually moves one step back in time. Is becomes was, and likes becomes liked.

Anu said that Raj liked tea.

A past reporting verb pulls the tense one step back.

Pronouns, tenses and time words, explained.

Your child's level and 3 topics to fix first.

All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.

- Simple tenses and helpers . Simple present moves to simple past. Is and am become was, and are becomes were. Does not becomes did not. Will becomes would, can becomes could, and may becomes might.
- Continuous and perfect tenses . Present continuous moves to past continuous. Present perfect and simple past both move to past perfect. Present perfect continuous moves to past perfect continuous.
- Longer verb groups . Only the first helper moves back. Will be becomes would be, is going to becomes was going to, and has been fixed becomes had been fixed.
- Anu said, "Raj likes tea."
- Anu said that Raj liked tea.

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