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Consider the examples:

    1. "My name is Ricky."
    1. He said his name is Ricky.

The tense is not backshifted in #2 because his name is and will always be Ricky. Also consider:

    1. Ricky says: "I live in Paris."
    1. Ricky said that he lives in Paris.

The tense is not backshifted in #4 because he still lives in Paris.

For examples #2 and #4, it is possible to not backshift the tense because the reporting words are still true at the time of reporting, but what will you say about the following examples:

  1. I asked what his name is.
  2. I asked where he lives.

Here, is it correct for #5 and #6 to not backshift the tense?

If #5 and #6 are correct, then under what conditions is it correct to not backshift the verb like that?

F.E.
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iamRR
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    I'll let the grammarians and experts tell you why (aka I honestly can't justify it), but both a and b are cast, almost universally, in the past tense: I asked him what his name was; *I asked him where he lived***. – Dan Bron May 02 '15 at 23:07
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    You have been asking a lot of questions concerning the topic of backshift. If you search via the backshifting tag, you'll probably find the info that you are looking for. Good luck! :) – F.E. May 03 '15 at 00:01
  • I looked into it but I have seen some mixed replies which has caused more confusion. I'd really appreciate if you could explain me in brief. Thanks – iamRR May 03 '15 at 01:15
  • @ F.E. I'm attaching a link. Please share your words on it Link : http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/243066/he-found-present-past-tense I have gone through almost every backshifting tag but this question really boggles my mind. I'd appreciate if I could get a reply. – iamRR May 03 '15 at 05:05
  • I wasn't getting any pings for your messages. That's because your addressing to me is not quite right. You need to use "@F.E." -- If you enter '@' and then 'F', the software will fill in the rest of my userid, which you can then select (by tabling?). -- Look for "backshifting" tag with my userid for some decent posts on the subject. – F.E. May 03 '15 at 06:45
  • Here's a listing of my posts on EL&U for backshifting: http://english.stackexchange.com/search?q=user:57102+[backshifting] – F.E. May 03 '15 at 06:46
  • Here are some specific posts that you could start with: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/149120/i-didnt-know-you-liked-her-or-i-didnt-know-you-like-her/149167#149167 , http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/150709/past-tense-or-present-tense-to-describe-something-that-happened-in-the-past-but/150743#150743 , http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/167922/using-past-tense-when-referencing-a-still-true-fact/167929#167929 , http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/172410/reported-speech-unnecessary-past-tense/172420#172420 – F.E. May 03 '15 at 06:50
  • These links are helpful but do not answer my query. However in one of your link you mentioned an example - "Last week Tom found out that Kim has blue eyes." I'm aware that this sentence is okay because Kim's eye color is considered to be a permanent sort of thing. i.e ; at the time of reporting this sentence Kim's eye is blue and probably will be blue. Although in my example "I found that the door is closed." Here at the time of reporting the door is closed but may not be closed some time later therefore 'its temporary sort of action'. So is correct to use 'is' in my example ? Thanks – iamRR May 03 '15 at 07:14
  • Do the courtesy to answer my query. Please. My question is somewhat different. Awaiting your reply. – iamRR May 05 '15 at 02:12
  • "@F.E." -- What is it that you not replying to my queries. I have read your backshifting related answers but this question is somewhat different from those. Please help me out. – iamRR May 06 '15 at 10:04
  • @iamRR, I think you've got it. "I found that the door is closed" is fine. - - - Comment: please don't get discouraged if a StackExchange participant is irregular in responding. In my case, for example, SE is a fun way of giving back to the general internet community, which has helped me resolve some problems at various points in time, but sometimes I have to put it on a back burner for a few days. – aparente001 May 07 '15 at 00:17

1 Answers1

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  1. I asked what his name is.
  2. I asked where he lives.

These work fine. When I have asked someone a question recently, then I am comfortable using the present tense. I'll paint you a picture. My son and I go to the library. We see an acquaintance from a little bit of a distance. My son goes over to say hi. When he comes back, he excitedly reports, "I asked him what his name is, and you're not going to believe it, but it's the same as my brother so-and-so, only he spells it differently. And I asked him where he lives, and it turns out he lives right around the corner from us!"

aparente001
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  • So the use of present tense does not depend on if his name is still the same or if he still lives in same place at the time of reporting. Rather it depends on how recently you are reporting. Is that what you mean ? – iamRR May 03 '15 at 08:08
  • Yes, that is my intuitive sense about this. Rationalization: the recentness makes the name and address less likely to have changed. – aparente001 May 03 '15 at 08:14
  • "@aparente001" Could I get a reply on the question. Link : http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/243066/he-found-present-past-tense/244083?noredirect=1#comment526414_244083 – iamRR May 03 '15 at 15:42
  • @iamRR I wrote an answer, hope it helps. – aparente001 May 03 '15 at 21:19
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    Let's say today I happen to meet Mr X and he asks "Where do you live?". I reply " I live in India ". A month later if I still live in India then why can't I report as : "MrX asked me where I live." ? A month later is not a recent report but what if I still live in India.? Please help me out. – iamRR May 05 '15 at 02:09
  • Yes, in this scenario, you can say, "Mr X asked me where I live." In fact, this would be the best choice. - - - Are you starting to see the pattern now? Your scenario was a great example. – aparente001 May 05 '15 at 03:58