Reporting verbs
Reporting verbs are used to report what somebody said, like promise, say, ask, admit, etc. We
normally classify these verbs into different groups depending on the structure in which they can be
found. In the grammar chart below, you can see the most common reporting verbs and how they are
used.
In the grammar chart below, you can see the same verbs with example sentences.
The perfect gerund – regret doing vs regret having done
We use the perfect gerund to indicate that the action expressed by the verb was completed in the past.
I regret being married. (=now)
I regret having been married (=in the past)
However, it’s often obvious whether the action in the gerund happened in the past or not. In those
cases, we can use the simple gerund or the perfect gerund with little difference in meaning. With the
perfect gerund, we emphasise that the action was completed in the past.
He admitted stealing the money.
He admitted having stolen the money.
Negatives
To make the verbs that we have reported negative, we need to look at the verb pattern:
When there's a clause, we make the negative in the usual way: She said that she didn't like ice
cream.
When there's 'to + infinitive', we generally put 'not' before 'to': He promised not to do it again.
When there's 'verb-ing', we generally put 'not' in front of it: I advise not taking the bus.
Reporting verbs
Some reporting verbs may appear in more than one of the following groups because they can be used in
several ways.
Test your knowledge
Verbs followed by "if" or "whether"
Ask/ know/ remember Say/ see
Verbs followed by a "that"
Add/ admit Doubt / estimate
Reply/ report
agree/ announce explain/ fear
reveal/ say
answer/ argue feel/ insist
state/ suggest
boast/ claim mention/ observe
suppose/ tell
comment/ complain persuade/ propose
think/ understand/ warn
confirm/ consider / deny remark/ remember/ repeat
Verbs followed by either "that" or an infinitive with "to"
Decide/ expect Promise/ swear/
guarantee/ hope threaten
Verbs followed by a "that" clause containing should, which may be omitted, leaving a subject +
zero-infinitive
Advise/ beg/ demand Insist/ prefer/ propose Recommend/ request/ suggest
Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question word
Decide/ describe Imagine/ know
See/ suggest
discover/ discuss learn/ realise
teach/ tell / think/
explain/ forget/ remember/ reveal/
understand/wonder
guess say
Verbs followed by object + infinitive with "to"
Advise/ ask/ beg/ Forbid/instruct Teach/ tell/
command invite warn
1. Reporting verb + infinitive
Verbs: Refuse, decide, promise, demand, agree, threaten, plead with
Examples:
Charlotte refused to make a cake. (NOT: Charlotte refused making a cake)
My boss decided to give me a promotion.
The teacher demanded to know who was responsible for the mess.
We agreed to keep quiet and not tell anyone the news.
(or)
We agreed that we would keep quiet.
We threatened to go to the police.
They pleaded with the man to release the hostage.
2. Reporting verb + somebody + (not) infinitive
Verbs: remind, ask, beg, warn , order, encourage, persuade, advise, urge, agree
Examples:
Charlotte reminded her mum to make a cake.
They asked me to cook
He begged his friend not to tell
They warned me not to go there by myself.
The government has ordered everybody to stay at home.
Her parents always encourage her to work
They persuaded me to stay for another drink.
The doctor advised me to stop
Our new neighbours have invited us to have dinner with them tomorrow.
3. Reporting verb + verb +ing
Verbs: Deny, suggest, recommend, report, propose, admit
These verbs can be used with +ing or with that, but it’s generally better to be concise and use the +ing
verb. Short and sweet!
Examples:
They denied taking the last biscuit. (short)
(or)
They denied that they had taken the last biscuit. (long)
She admitted stealing the money.
(or)
She admitted that she had stolen the money. / She admitted to me that she had stolen the
money.
She suggested taking a taxi because it would be quicker.
(or)
She suggested that we took a taxi.
I recommend going in the morning when the weather isn’t so hot.
(or)
I recommend (that) we go in the morning.
I propose cancelling the next meeting until we have made a decision.
(or)
I propose that we cancel the next meeting.
4. Reporting verb + preposition + verb + ing
Verbs: Blame smbd for, accuse smbd of, insist on, apologise for, complain about, confess to, forbid
smbd from, agree to, think about
Examples:
They blamed me for missing the train.
She accused her friend of
He apologised for breaking the window.
She is thinking about moving to France.
He insisted on paying for everybody. / He insisted that he paid for everybody.
They complained about not having a small hotel room. / They complained that they didn’t
have a bigger room.
Academic reporting verbs
The reporting verbs we use in academic writing also follow specific grammatical patterns. Again, it is
important to know whether the verb needs +ing, the infinitive, or that after it.
5. Academic reporting verb + that
Verbs: Point out, find, observe, state, agree, believe, assert, claim, contend, explain, guess, assert,
imply, reason, prove, note, report, reveal.