Sequence of tenses - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_of_tensesEnglish. In English, an attracted sequence of tenses (backshifting) is often used in indirect speech and similar contexts. The attracted sequence can be summarized as follows: If the main verb of a sentence is in the past tense, then other verbs must also express a past viewpoint, except when a general truth is being expressed.. For example, if Batman spoke the following …