backshifts

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A form of backshift — The changing of the tense of a verb from present to past in reported speech.

Scrabble 24
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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of backshift
verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of backshift
Cite this entry
APA

backshifts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backshifts

MLA

“backshifts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backshifts. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backshifts,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backshifts.

Source: backshifts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.