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I've been asking a lot about backshifting of tenses for quite some time and I have come across many articles/blogs where this so-called rule is not always followed unlike notable grammar books.

For example :

Asked about an update on the condition of three Indians including two teachers, abducted near war-torn Libya and held hostage by the Islamic militant group ISIS, the spokesperson said they have received a video evidence of their being "alive" as recent as September 27 and they were making all efforts to secure their release.
source: The Times of India

My question is, since the main verb is in the past tense 'said' don't you think that it should be had received instead of have received?

You see this is one such link. I can provide multiple examples which contain the same errors (if I can call this an ‘error’).

If journalists can use similar grammar then isn't it acceptable?

Mari-Lou A
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iamRR
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    This is Indian English, which can obey different grammatical rules than standard U.S. or U.K. English, and the article contains several other things that would clearly be grammatical errors in standard English — i.e., they have received a* video evidence, and as recent as*. – Peter Shor Oct 08 '15 at 18:46
  • @PeterShor Are you suggesting that you cannot put "a" before video evidence? –  Oct 08 '15 at 19:37
  • @PeterShor -- So, are you saying that 'have recieved' is incorrect in standard US and UK English ? – iamRR Oct 08 '15 at 19:47
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    @Rathony: You *cannot* put "a" before video evidence. The word evidence is uncountable in non-Indian English. – Peter Shor Oct 08 '15 at 20:16
  • @iamRR: I was trying to avoid stating that "have received" is incorrect. I think it's less likely, because backshifting is the default in standard US and UK English. (I have no idea how Indian English works in this respect.) But I don't think it's ungrammatical. Here is a relevant Ngram. – Peter Shor Oct 08 '15 at 20:19
  • "Do you think..." "Is it acceptable?" are not Stack Exchange questions. – Andrew Leach Oct 08 '15 at 21:13
  • @Andrew Leach -- Okay. I understand. Please tell me if someone uses 'have recieved' then will that be grammatically correct ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 04:17
  • @PeterShor I am not denying the fact that evidence is uncountable. If it becomes a compound noun with audio, video, photo, etc., you can put a/an and there are many non-Indian usages. –  Oct 09 '15 at 05:30
  • To be honest, the quality of journalism in India has gone down drastically so I would suggest not to use that as a benchmark for good grammar practices. – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 10:47
  • @Mamta D : Am I to understand that 'has been' usage is grammatically wrong then ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 11:33
  • Where is "has been" mentioned? Could you point me to the sentence? – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 11:41
  • @Mamta D : Sorry. I meant 'have recieved'. – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 11:42
  • I warmly recommend that you set up an account on ELL, your many many many questions and comments might be received more positively there. – Mari-Lou A Oct 09 '15 at 11:53
  • Since the report was for that particular day, by saying "they have received" they were probably emphasizing the recency of receiving the video evidence. – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 11:53
  • @Mamta D : So under what condition it should be 'had recieved' then ? Could you please answer the question which I asked to WS2 in the comments section ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 11:58
  • @iamRR Long winded comments discussions are discouraged here. You can join me in a chat room to discuss more on this. Please avoid asking questions within comments. – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 12:01
  • Related: Why is the present perfect used in headlines? – Mari-Lou A Oct 09 '15 at 12:03
  • @Mari-Lou A : Thanks for your constant help. Well, my query is completely different from this one. My query concerns reported speech unlike this one. – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 12:13
  • Your question is not completely different. It is using the same present perfect for an event that is completed in the past, your Q is about the use of pp in indirect speech while the example in the link could easily be worded as: " Close friends confirmed that Jim Cooper has died of cancer", instead of "Jim Cooper has died of cancer" Where is this huge difference? I'm not saying they are identical, but they are connected. – Mari-Lou A Oct 09 '15 at 16:47

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Either is possible.

The teacher said the children have worked hard, or The teacher said the children had worked hard are both grammatical. Which one you use is largely dependent on how recent the 'working hard' has been, and how soon after the teacher said it that the speaker is reporting it.

Let's say the children are still in the classroom, picking up their belongings and I am speaking to another parent in the corridor - then have would seem better.

However if I am reporting it to my wife when I get home with my child, I might well say The teacher told me they had worked hard.

WS2
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  • What if you use 'have worked' while reporting to your wife when you get home, will it be grammatically correct then ? Let's say the teacher said,"Children have worked hard". A day later I happen to report teacher's words as 'The teacher said children have worked hard'. In this context, is it right to use 'have worked' ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 11:36
  • @Mari-Lou A : I'm afraid I did not ask any unconcerned question. I'm asking because I have few doubts regarding his answer. – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 11:53
  • @iamRR Long winded comments discussions are discouraged here. You can join me in a chat room to discuss more on this. Please avoid asking questions within comments. – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 12:02
  • @Mamta D : How do I reach out to you on chat ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 12:09
  • Join http://ell.stackexchange.com/ and then look for the chat room on the right. – Mamta D Oct 09 '15 at 12:10
  • @Mamta D : Hey, I pinged but did not get any reply. U there ? – iamRR Oct 09 '15 at 12:32