Reporting Verbs

Forming sentences with reporting verbs

Reporting verbs are used to report what someone said more accurately than using say & tell.

  1. verb + infinitive
    agree, decide, offer, promise, refuse, threaten

    • They agreed to meet on Friday.
    • He refused to take his coat off.
  2. verb + object + infinitive
    advise, encourage, invite, remind, warn

    • Tom advised me to go home early.
    • She reminded me to telephone my mother.
  3. verb + gerund
    deny, recommend, suggest

    • They recommended taking the bus.
    • She suggested meeting a little earlier.
  4. verb + object + preposition
    accuse, blame, congratulate

    • He accused me of taking the money.
    • They congratulated me on passing all my exams.
  5. verb + preposition + gerund
    apologise, insist

    • They apologised for not coming.
    • He insisted on having dinner.
  6. verb + subject + verb
    admit, agree, decide, deny, explain, insist, promise, recommend, suggest

    • Sarah decided (that) the house needed cleaning.
    • They recommended (that) we take the bus.

Related grammar points

Reported Questions
Reported Speech
Say and Tell

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Comments

  1. After having introduced the basic reporting verbs: ask, say and tell, I ask my students to write about 10 personal questions they will be able to ask me. Students love asking personal questions to their teachers! I put the questions on the board and then divide the class into 2 groups and make the first group leave and wait outside. Students from the first group take turns asking me their prepared questions and write down my answers.

    Now, they leave and the second group does the same thing. However, what they do not know is that I am honest with one group and give correct answers, but lie to the other. It’s a good idea not to tell them beforehand.

    When the second group is ready I ask the group outside to come in and tell the students to pair off as 1st and 2nd group partners.

    For example, one student says: “I asked the teacher how old she was and she told me she was 16.” Then the other student says: “I asked the same question, but she told me she was 36.” etc… until all the questions are reported.

    They have to pay attention to the usage of the reporting verbs and have fun finding out which group the teacher lied to!

    Reply
  2. Love this idea! Thank you very much!

    Reply
  3. Why reporting verb is not part of grammar.. Or partial of it..

    Reply
  4. Today i’ve studied many news topics and how use in my gramar like:
    The reporting verbs
    The reported speech
    The wish and if only
    and
    So and such

    Reply
  5. These two lessons have been so cool, I was finally able to correctly understand the forms of reporting verbs and in which cases so and such are used.
    Thank you:)

    Reply

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