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Reported Speech Advanced: Reporting Verbs

B2 Grammar

📖 16 min read + practice⚡ Upper-intermediate difficulty❓ 50-question quiz included

B2 · Lesson 5 of 12 in this level

1. Simple explanation

A reporting verb is a verb you use to pass on what someone said — not their exact words, but their meaning. 'Say' and 'tell' are the basic reporting verbs from B1. At this level you learn richer ones: promise (showing commitment), warn (showing danger), suggest (giving an idea), advise (giving a recommendation). The catch: every reporting verb has its own fixed pattern — the shape that must follow it. 'He advised me to rest' but 'She suggested resting.' Learn each verb together with its pattern.

2. Detailed explanation

Start from what you already know. Reporting means passing on someone's words or meaning: 'I am tired' becomes 'She said she was tired.' In B1 you used two neutral reporting verbs, say and tell — neutral means they add no extra feeling. A reporting verb is simply any verb used for reporting. English has dozens, and the richer ones carry extra meaning: 'promise' shows commitment (the speaker gives their word), 'warn' shows danger, 'suggest' gives an idea, 'refuse' shows a firm 'no.' The right verb also shows the speaker's intention — what the speaker wanted to happen.

Every reporting verb has its own pattern — the fixed shape of words that must follow it. There are four patterns. Pattern 1 — verb + that-clause (a small sentence starting with 'that'): explain that…, admit that…, complain that…. Pattern 2 — verb + to-infinitive ('to' + the base verb): promise to…, offer to…, refuse to…, agree to…. Pattern 3 — verb + person + to-infinitive: advise somebody to…, warn somebody not to…, remind, invite. Pattern 4 — verb + -ing form (the verb with -ing, used like a noun naming an activity): suggest doing, recommend doing, apologize for doing, insist on doing. Learn each verb WITH its pattern, as one chunk.

Let's take three sentences apart, word by word. 'He advised me to see a doctor': He + advised (pattern 3) + me (the person) + to see (to-infinitive) + a doctor. 'She suggested taking the train': She + suggested (pattern 4) + taking (-ing) + the train. Never say ✗ 'She suggested me to take the train' — suggest cannot take a person plus to. 'They accused him of stealing': accused + him (person) + of (a fixed preposition — it never changes) + stealing (-ing). Pattern-4 verbs often carry a fixed preposition: apologize FOR doing, accuse somebody OF doing, insist ON doing, blame somebody FOR doing.

Modals shift one step back: will becomes would ('I'll help' → 'He promised to help'), can becomes could, and must becomes had to when it means obligation: 'You must wear a uniform' → 'She said we had to wear a uniform.' But must stays must for deduction — deducing means working something out from evidence: 'It must be midnight' → 'He said it must be midnight.' Report questions with wondered or wanted to know: 'Where is the bank?' → 'I wondered where the bank was' — statement order, no question mark. Commands use pattern 3: 'Sit down!' → 'The teacher told us to sit down'; 'Don't touch it!' → 'She warned us not to touch it' — 'not' goes BEFORE 'to.'

Remember this first: three rules prevent almost every mistake. One: learn each verb with its pattern: 'advise + person + to,' 'suggest + -ing.' Two: suggest is the biggest trap — -ing or a that-clause, never person + to. Three: the person sits in the middle with advise/warn/tell/ask ('She warned ME not to go'), and negative 'not' comes before 'to.'

3. Formula / structure

Step by step — how to build a sentence:

1) Decide the speaker's intention (advice? promise? warning? idea?). 2) Choose the reporting verb that carries that meaning (advise / promise / warn / suggest). 3) Attach the verb's pattern: for advise, add the person + to + base verb. Example: Anna said to Ben, 'You should rest.' Intention = advice, verb = advise, pattern = person + to. Result: 'Anna advised Ben to rest.' For suggest, never add the person before to: 'Let's take a taxi' → 'He suggested taking a taxi.'

reported question (wonder):

wonder / want to know + question word or if + statement order → She wondered where I lived.

suggest that-clause:

suggest / recommend + that + subject + base verb (or should + base verb) → I suggest that he (should) apply soon.

verb + -ing (with fixed prepositions):

suggest / recommend + -ing · apologize FOR -ing · accuse person OF -ing · insist ON -ing → He apologized for being late.

verb + person + to-infinitive:

advise / warn / remind / invite / encourage / persuade + person + to + base verb → They advised us to book early.

verb + that-clause:

explain / admit / complain / announce + that + sentence → He explained that the shop was closed.

verb + to-infinitive:

promise / offer / refuse / agree / threaten + to + base verb → She offered to carry my bag.

4. When to use it

To report advice with the person included: 'The doctor advised me to stop smoking.'
To report promises, offers and refusals: 'He promised to call.' / 'She refused to sign.'
To report ideas without quoting: 'They suggested leaving early.'
To report apologies and blame precisely: 'He apologized for the delay.' / 'They accused her of lying.'
To report questions politely: 'I wanted to know if the train had left.'
To show emotion or pressure in a report: 'He threatened to quit.' / 'She begged me to stay.'

5. When NOT to use it

Never use suggest/recommend + person + to-infinitive: ✗ 'He suggested me to wait' → ✓ 'He suggested waiting' / 'He suggested that I (should) wait.'
Don't use say + person + to: ✗ 'She said me to come' → ✓ 'She told me to come.'
Don't drop the person after tell/ask (pattern 3): ✗ 'He told to wait' → ✓ 'He told us to wait.'
Don't put 'to' after must in the report of a command — switch to tell/advise: ✗ 'He said me must go' → ✓ 'He told me to go.'
Don't keep question word order after wonder: ✗ 'I wondered where was he' → ✓ 'I wondered where he was.'

6. Positive examples

The guide explained that the museum closed at six.
He promised to finish the report by Friday.
She offered to drive us to the airport.
The doctor advised him to rest for a week.
They warned us not to swim after dark.
I suggest taking the earlier train.
We recommend that you (should) book in advance.
He apologized for forgetting my birthday.
The police accused him of stealing a car.
She insisted on paying for dinner.
I wondered why the shop was closed.
He refused to answer any questions.

7. Negative examples

She warned us not to touch the wires.
He denied breaking the window.
They refused to pay the extra charge.
She advised me not to accept the first offer.
He admitted that he had not read the contract.
We agreed not to mention it again.

8. Questions

She wanted to know if I had received her email.
He wondered where the nearest pharmacy was.
They asked me to open the window.
The officer asked to see my passport.
I asked whether the price included breakfast.
She asked him not to be late again.

9. Short answers

'Will he help?' — 'He promised to.' (promise + to)
'Why is she angry?' — 'He accused her of lying.' (accuse + of)
'Should I wait?' — 'She advised you to.' (advise + person + to)
'Who broke it?' — 'He denied doing it.' (deny + -ing)
'What did he say about the noise?' — 'He complained that it was too loud.'

10. Common mistakes

✗ He suggested me to take a taxi✓ He suggested taking a taxi.Why: suggest uses the -ing pattern or a that-clause; it never takes a person + to-infinitive.

✗ She said me to wait outside✓ She told me to wait outside.Why: the person + to pattern needs tell, ask, advise or warn — say never works in this pattern.

✗ He apologized to be late✓ He apologized for being late.Why: apologize always carries the fixed preposition 'for' before the -ing form.

✗ They accused him for stealing✓ They accused him of stealing.Why: accuse always uses the fixed preposition 'of' before the -ing form.

✗ I wondered where was the station✓ I wondered where the station was.Why: reported questions use statement word order — subject before verb — and no question mark.

✗ The teacher said us to sit down✓ The teacher told us to sit down.Why: reported commands use tell + person + to; say cannot hold a person in the middle.

✗ She promised me that she helps✓ She promised me that she would help / She promised to help.Why: in reports, will moves one step back to would — or use promise + to-infinitive.

✗ He insisted to pay✓ He insisted on paying.Why: insist always carries the fixed preposition 'on' before the -ing form.

11. American English notes

🇺🇸 American English

Americans use the suggest that-clause with the base verb and no 'should' very naturally: 'I suggest that he call us' — the verb 'call' has no -s even with 'he.' This form (called the subjunctive) is more common in American than British English. In everyday American speech, ask is the workhorse reporting verb: 'She asked me to help,' 'He asked if I was ready.' Americans also report with claim ('He claimed that he had paid'), point out ('She pointed out that the road was closed'), and figure ('I figured that it was late'). One warning: Americans often keep must as must for obligation in casual speech ('He said I must finish it'), but in careful English and tests, had to is the safe reported form.

12. Similar grammar — comparison

Compare

Reporting verbs versus plain say/tell: say and tell only pass on words — 'She said she was busy' tells you the words but nothing about how she felt. Reporting verbs add the speaker's intention in one word: 'She claimed she was busy' (I doubt her), 'She admitted she was busy' (she didn't want to say it), 'She complained that she was busy' (she was unhappy). The second contrast is between the patterns themselves: verbs of advice and command put a PERSON in the middle (advise me to, tell me to), while verbs of ideas and reactions (suggest, recommend, apologize, insist) never do — they go straight to -ing or a that-clause. Mixing the two families is the most common B2 mistake.

13. Natural spoken English

'He basically promised to fix it today.'
'She warned me not to click that link.'
'I suggest we just order pizza.'
'He apologized for the mix-up right away.'
'They offered to cover my shift.'
'I asked if I could leave early.'

14. Real-life examples

At work: 'My manager advised me to update my résumé before applying.'
In the news: 'The company denied that the data had been stolen.'
At the doctor: 'She recommended taking the medicine with food.'
Travel: 'The airline announced that the flight would be delayed.'
Customer service: 'He apologized for the mistake and offered to refund the full amount.'
At school: 'The teacher encouraged us to ask questions.'

15. Mini dialogue

ADid the travel agent call back?

BYes. She suggested flying on Thursday instead of Friday.

AWhy Thursday?

BShe explained that Friday flights were fully booked.

ADid she promise to hold the seats?

BShe promised to keep them until noon, and she advised us to decide fast.

ASmart. Last time she warned us not to wait, and she was right.

BExactly — and she offered to email the tickets tonight.

16. Summary

Every reporting verb carries a meaning (promise = commitment, warn = danger, suggest = idea) and a fixed pattern: that-clause, to-infinitive, person + to, or -ing with a fixed preposition. Suggest never takes person + to, and reported questions use statement order after wonder / want to know.

17. Practice exercises

Warm up with the first questions, then take the full quiz — every answer has a detailed explanation (parts 19–20 of this lesson: answer key + explanations live inside the quiz feedback).

18. The full quiz

50 questions, mixed formats, in difficulty order: easy → medium → intermediate → challenging → advanced.

Take the 50-question quiz

Keep going

← Previous: Passive Advanced & The Causative (have/get something done) Next: Wishes & If Only → Related lessons: Reported Speech: He Said (That)… · Modal Verbs: can / could / should / may / might / must Practice test: 50 questions

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