backshiftEnglishOxford New American Dictionarybackshift /ˈbakSHift, ˈbækʃɪft / ▸ noun Grammar the changing of a present tense in direct speech to a past tense in reported speech (or a past tense to pluperfect).
EnglishOxford New American DictionaryEnglishOxford New American Dictionary
EnglishOxford New American Dictionary