Page 6 - Demo

6 Mohammad Mahfooz HussainIf the tense were changed to state that %u2018the sun rose in the east%u2019, it would imply that %u2018the sun rose in the east only on that particular day, and often rises in other directions%u2019 or %u2018it is an incident or an event that happened and is not relevant anymore%u2019. However, this is not true. Therefore, statements of universal truth and habitual action always remain in the present tense, while statements of historical fact retain their original past tense (without backshifting to the past perfect).1. Universal Truth:A universal truth is a fact that is universally accepted and cannot be altered.Universal truth speeches include %u2013 any moral principle, natural phenomena, mathematical equation, scientific statement, etc.A. Moral Principles and Proverbs:Proverbs and moral lessons are timeless sayings, so their wording stays exactly the same.Direct IndirectAlam said, %u201cTruth wins always.%u201d Alam said that truth wins always.%u201cHonesty is the best policy,%u201d they said.They said that honesty is the best policy.The teacher said to us, %u201cMan is mortal.%u201dThe teacher told us that man is mortal.%u201cAn apple a day keeps the doctor away,%u201d my grandfather said.My grandfather said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.His wife said to him, %u201cA bad workman always blames his tools.%u201dHis wife told him that a bad workman always blames his tools.