Simple explanation
What are reporting verbs? Reporting verbs are verbs used to report statements, opinions, requests, promises, warnings, admissions, denials, recommendations, and other forms of communication. Basic reporting often relies on say and tell, but advanced English uses more precise verbs such as admit, acknowledge, claim, concede, deny, insist, persuade, urge, and warn. These verbs add meaning by showing the speaker's attitude or purpose. Why do reporting verb patterns matter at C1? Reporting verbs do not all follow the same grammatical structure. Some are followed by a that-clause, some by a to-infinitive, some by a gerund, and others require an object before the infinitive. Knowing only the meaning of a verb is therefore not enough. You should learn the verb together with its pattern, for example deny doing, persuade someone to do, or accuse someone of doing. Reporting statements with that-clauses Verbs such as admit, acknowledge, claim, concede, confirm, explain, insist, maintain, point out, and reveal can introduce a that-clause. In conversation, that is sometimes omitted, but it is often retained in formal or academic writing for clarity. The reporting verb also helps show how strongly the speaker accepts, rejects, or presents the information. Reporting intentions and commitments with to-infinitives Verbs such as agree, offer, promise, refuse, and threaten are commonly followed by to + base verb. In this pattern, the subject of the reporting verb is normally also the person who performs the action in the infinitive. For example, in She promised to call, she is both the person making the promise and the person expected to call. Reporting influence with object + to-infinitive Verbs such as advise, encourage, instruct, invite, persuade, remind, urge, and warn can take an object followed by a to-infinitive. The object identifies the person expected to perform the action. Meaning matters: advise means to recommend, while persuade normally implies that the attempt to influence someone was successful. Reporting actions with gerunds Some reporting verbs are followed by the -ing form. Common examples include admit doing, deny doing, suggest doing, and recommend doing. In these patterns, the action itself is emphasized. Suggest and recommend normally do not take a direct object followed by a to-infinitive in standard English. Reporting verbs with fixed prepositions Some verbs form fixed patterns with prepositions, such as accuse someone of doing, apologize for doing, congratulate someone on doing, insist on doing, and warn someone against doing. The preposition is part of the grammar pattern and should be learned together with the verb rather than chosen freely. Formal recommendations and demands After verbs such as suggest, recommend, demand, request, propose, and certain uses of insist, English can use that + subject + base verb. For example: The committee recommended that the policy be revised. This pattern is especially common in formal, academic, and professional English. British English may also use should in the same structure. Passive reporting structures Formal English often places the reported information rather than the source in subject position. Structures such as He is believed to be... or The company is reported to have... are common in journalism and academic writing. A perfect infinitive is typically used when the reported action happened before the reporting time. Choosing reporting verbs for meaning Advanced reporting verbs are not interchangeable. Claim presents something as an assertion without confirming that it is true. Acknowledge means to recognize or accept a fact. Concede often means admitting a point that weakens your own position. Maintain indicates continuing to defend a position despite disagreement. Accurate choice of reporting verb is an important C1 skill.
Grammar formula
Reporting a statement or claim
subject + reporting verb + (that) + clauseThe researcher acknowledged that the original estimate had been inaccurate.
Reporting a promise, refusal, or offer
subject + reporting verb + to + base verbHe refused to answer the question.
Reporting advice or influence
subject + reporting verb + object + to + base verbThe doctor advised her to reduce her workload.
Reporting an admitted or denied action
subject + admit/deny + verb-ingShe denied sharing the password.
Reporting with a fixed preposition
subject + reporting verb + object/preposition + verb-ingThey accused him of hiding important evidence.
Formal recommendation or demand
subject + suggest/recommend/demand + that + subject + base verbThe board recommended that the plan be revised.
Passive reporting about a current situation
subject + be + reporting past participle + to + base verbThe system is believed to be reliable.
Passive reporting about an earlier action
subject + be + reporting past participle + to have + past participleThe suspect is believed to have left the city.
Core rules
- 1
Verb + that-clause
Use verbs such as admit, acknowledge, claim, confirm, insist, maintain, point out, and reveal before a that-clause: The researchers acknowledged that the first estimate had been inaccurate.
- 2
Verb + to-infinitive
Use verbs such as agree, offer, promise, refuse, and threaten before to + base verb: She promised to send the revised document.
- 3
Verb + object + to-infinitive
Use verbs such as advise, encourage, persuade, remind, urge, and instruct with an object followed by a to-infinitive: They urged him to reconsider his decision.
- 4
Verb + gerund
Use verbs such as admit, deny, suggest, and recommend before a gerund: He denied sharing the information.
- 5
Verb + fixed preposition + gerund
Learn patterns such as accuse someone of doing, apologize for doing, insist on doing, and warn someone against doing as fixed combinations.
- 6
Do not use suggest or recommend with object + to-infinitive
Standard English normally avoids structures such as suggest someone to do something or recommend someone to do something. Use suggest/recommend doing or suggest/recommend that someone do something instead.
- 7
Use the base verb after certain formal that-clauses
After suggest, recommend, demand, request, and similar verbs, a formal that-clause can use the base verb: They recommended that she apply again.
- 8
Use the perfect infinitive for earlier reported actions
When the reported action happened before the reporting time, use to have + past participle: She is believed to have left the country.
Useful examples
The company admitted that it had underestimated the cost of the project.
The company accepted that its original cost estimate had been too low.
admit is useful when someone accepts an error, responsibility, or an uncomfortable fact.
Maya claimed to have completed the report before the deadline.
Maya said that she had finished the report before the deadline, presenting this as her own claim.
claim + perfect infinitive shows that the claimed action happened before the claim.
The manager reminded us to back up the files before installing the update.
The manager told us not to forget to save backup copies before the update.
remind + object + to-infinitive is used when someone helps another person remember an action.
He denied sharing confidential information with anyone outside the team.
He said that he had not shared confidential information with people outside the team.
deny is followed by a gerund in this pattern.
The consultant advised the company to postpone the launch until the security issues were resolved.
The consultant recommended that the company delay the launch until the security problems were fixed.
advise + object + to-infinitive identifies the person or organization receiving the advice.
The committee recommended that the proposal be revised before publication.
The committee advised that the proposal should be changed before it was published.
The base form be is used after recommend that in this formal structure.
She apologized for interrupting the meeting without warning.
She said she was sorry for interrupting the meeting unexpectedly.
apologize is followed by for + gerund.
The witness insisted that she had seen the same vehicle near the building earlier that evening.
The witness strongly maintained that she had seen the same vehicle there earlier that evening.
insist that can emphasize that someone strongly maintains that something is true.
They warned investors against making decisions based solely on short-term market movements.
They advised investors not to make decisions based only on short-term market changes.
warn someone against doing is used to caution someone about an action.
The spokesperson refused to comment on the ongoing investigation.
The spokesperson would not give any comments about the continuing investigation.
refuse is commonly followed by a to-infinitive.
The researchers acknowledged having overlooked an important variable in the first experiment.
The researchers accepted that they had missed an important variable in the first experiment.
acknowledge + perfect gerund emphasizes that the action happened before the acknowledgment.
The union threatened to take further action if the negotiations failed.
The union said it would take further action if the negotiations were unsuccessful.
threaten + to-infinitive reports an intended negative consequence.
The professor encouraged the students to challenge the assumptions behind the theory.
The professor motivated the students to question the assumptions on which the theory was based.
encourage + object + to-infinitive identifies who is being encouraged to act.
Several experts questioned whether the proposed solution would work at a larger scale.
Several experts expressed doubt about whether the proposed solution could work on a larger scale.
question can introduce a whether-clause when doubt is being reported.
The CEO conceded that the restructuring process had created unexpected problems.
The CEO admitted that the restructuring process had caused problems that had not been expected.
concede often signals that someone accepts a point that may weaken their previous position.
The minister is reported to be considering several alternatives.
Reports indicate that the minister is currently considering several different options.
be reported to is common in formal or journalistic English.
The documents are believed to have been removed before the investigation began.
People believe that the documents were removed before the investigation started.
to have been removed is a perfect passive infinitive referring to an earlier passive event.
She persuaded me to reconsider an offer I had initially rejected.
She successfully convinced me to think again about an offer I had first refused.
persuade usually implies that the attempt to influence someone succeeded.
Common mistakes
- ❌ She suggested me to apply for the position. ✅ She suggested that I apply for the position. suggest does not normally take object + to-infinitive in standard English. Use suggest doing or suggest that someone do something.
- ❌ He denied to take the money. ✅ He denied taking the money. deny is followed by a gerund, not a to-infinitive.
- ❌ The doctor advised to me to rest for a few days. ✅ The doctor advised me to rest for a few days. In the pattern advise + object + to-infinitive, no preposition is used before the object.
- ❌ They accused him for hiding the evidence. ✅ They accused him of hiding the evidence. The fixed pattern is accuse someone of doing something.
- ❌ The committee recommended that he applies again. ✅ The committee recommended that he apply again. After recommend that in this formal pattern, use the base form of the verb.
- ❌ She insisted to pay for dinner. ✅ She insisted on paying for dinner. When insist refers to doing an action, the common pattern is insist on + gerund.
- ❌ He explained me that the system had failed. ✅ He explained to me that the system had failed. explain does not normally take a person directly as its object. Use explain something to someone or explain to someone that.
- ❌ The suspect is believed that he left the country. ✅ The suspect is believed to have left the country. Personal passive reporting structures use be believed + infinitive. Because the departure happened earlier, a perfect infinitive is required.
Learning tips
- Learn each reporting verb together with its grammatical pattern rather than as an isolated vocabulary item.
- Before choosing a reporting verb, identify the communicative purpose: admission, denial, recommendation, warning, promise, claim, refusal, or insistence.
- Do not treat claim as meaning that a statement is true. It only reports that someone has asserted something.
- Distinguish advise from persuade: advise reports a recommendation, while persuade usually implies successful influence.
- Learn prepositions as part of fixed chunks: accuse of, apologize for, insist on, warn against.
- In academic writing, verbs such as acknowledge, argue, maintain, note, observe, and point out are often more precise than say.
- After recommend, suggest, demand, and similar verbs, the base form can appear in a formal that-clause even with third-person singular subjects.
- In passive reporting structures, pay close attention to time relationships: to do usually refers to the same or a later time, while to have done refers to an earlier action.
Practise this topic
Interactive exercises for this topic are coming soon.
PlannedRelated grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
Can all reporting verbs be followed by a that-clause?
No. Different reporting verbs allow different patterns. Verbs such as claim and admit can take a that-clause, while persuade normally requires an object followed by a to-infinitive.
What is the difference between say, tell, and explain?
say usually does not take a person directly as an object: She said that.... tell normally does: She told me that.... If explain includes a person, use to: She explained to me that....
Why is suggest me to do something incorrect?
suggest does not normally use object + to-infinitive in standard English. Use suggest doing something or suggest that someone do something.
What is the difference between advise and persuade?
advise means to recommend a course of action. persuade means to successfully convince someone to do or accept something.
What is the difference between admit and acknowledge?
admit often refers to accepting an error, responsibility, or uncomfortable fact. acknowledge is broader and often more formal, meaning to recognize or accept a fact, limitation, or point.
When do we use the base verb after recommend or suggest?
In formal that-clauses, verbs such as recommend and suggest can be followed by subject + base verb: They recommended that he apply again. British English also commonly allows should: They recommended that he should apply again.
What is the difference between is believed to leave and is believed to have left?
to have left refers to an action completed before the reporting time. For a current situation, a structure such as is believed to be living abroad is more appropriate.
Are reporting verbs only used in reported speech?
No. They are widely used in academic writing, journalism, workplace communication, source summaries, argumentation, and everyday conversation. They allow speakers and writers to report both content and attitude more precisely.