When reporting a third conditional, we apply no tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. changes.

"If they had been more careful, they wouldn't have been killed in the accident", the policeman muttered.
The policeman remarked that they wouldn't have been killed in the accident if they had been more careful.

When reporting a second conditional, the following tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. changes may be applied.

When reporting a first conditional, the following tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. changes may be applied.

When reporting a zero conditional, the following tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. changes may be applied.

The rules that apply here are essentially the same as those discussed on the previous pages, that is, tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. and modal changes occur if the reported sentence is out of date at the timeA concept which is related to our perception of reality; that part of existence which is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc. of reporting. Note that, even in this case, some tenses and modals do not change.