Oxford Dictionaries (who spell it as all one word) define backshift as: [Grammar] The changing of a present tense in direct speech to a past tense in reported speech (or a past tense to pluperfect).
(They show three sample sentences).
They only list it as a noun but it's also used with the same meaning as a verb. I couldn't find it in any other dictionaries we commonly use.
It's not listed at all with that meaning on the wrf dictionary page, but there are upwards of thirty threads using it.
(They show three sample sentences).
They only list it as a noun but it's also used with the same meaning as a verb. I couldn't find it in any other dictionaries we commonly use.
It's not listed at all with that meaning on the wrf dictionary page, but there are upwards of thirty threads using it.