Page 5 - Demo

5 Mohammad Mahfooz HussainCase %u2013 4: Universal Truth/ FactIf reported speech indicates a universal truth/ fact, habitual action or any historical event, tense in the reported speech will not change even if the reporting verb is in simple past.Direct: He said, %u201cThe sun rises in the east.%u201dIndirect: He said that the sun rises in the east.Detailed Analysis:Changing Narration: Universal Truth, Habitual Action, and Historical Fact:Normally, when a sentence is converted from direct to indirect speech, the reported statement changes according to the tense of the reporting verb(like %u201csaid%u201d).However, consider a reported statement such as:%u2022 The teacher said, %u201cThe sun rises in the east.%u201dEven though the reporting verb %u201csaid%u201d is in the past tense, the reported speech %u201cThe sun rises in the east%u201d remains unchanged. In indirect speech, it simply becomes:%u2022 The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.Reason:This occurs because the statement is a description of a natural incident, making it universally true. A natural incident cannot be altered, and thus, the speech describing it cannot be altered either.