He said that the sky [is/was] blue

Status
Not open for further replies.

xterm

Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
American English
Home Country
Anguilla
Current Location
Armenia
He [believed/discovered/said...etc] that the sky [is/was] blue.

Is "is" or "was" correct here?
The sky is blue is a universal fact.
 

Nightmare85

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
***Neither a teacher nor a native speaker.***

I would say:
He said that the sky was blue.
He says that the sky is blue.


When the sky is not blue anymore, you can say:
He said that the sky used to be blue.
He says that the sky used to be blue.

Even if the sky is still blue, you should avoid mixing tenses like:
He said that the sky is blue. :down:

However, in "real life" many speakers tend to break the rule in order not to confuse "normal" speakers.

Cheers!
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
The sky is blue is a universal fact.

No, it's not.

This afternoon it was grey and now it's black with stars.

Rover
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top