The tense change is perfectly acceptable without this phrase also: For example, if the action all happened in the same time—past, present, or future—then the verbs should be consistent in tense. This “mistake” is often heard in speech, and it is even used in very informal writing. However, from a grammatical viewpoint, this type of Read the following sentences and change the tenses as per the given directions. You might need to make changes in the adverbs as well. 1. I will be writing my exam this time tomorrow. (Change into past continuous tense) 2. He will be waiting for us. (Change into present continuous tense) 3. I know this. (Change into simple past) 4. He will have thought about this. (Change into present perfect Tense Changes When Using Reported Speech. Normally, the tense in reported speech is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech: She said, "I am tired.". = She said that she was tired. You do not need to change the tense if the reporting verb is in the present, or if the original statement was about something that is still true, e.g.