Reporting Verbs in English

Why Use Reporting Verbs?

Whenever we report what someone said, like “I love you!”, we can give more information about how and what was said by using different verbs. For example:

• He shouted “I love you!” – said it loudly.
• She whispered “I love you.” – said it very quietly.

Some verbs already contain the meaning of the words, so we don’t need to repeat exactly what was said. For example, apologise already carries the meaning “I’m sorry”.

Below are some reporting verbs you can use next time to give more detail instead of always using said.

Common Reporting Verbs & Patterns

Refuse to + verb – say you will not do something

Example: She refused to clean her room.

Agree to + verb – say yes to something / to doing something

Example: He agreed to help me with my homework.

Persuade (someone) to + verb – make someone change their mind

Example: He persuaded her to work when he offered her more money.

Imply (that)... – suggest something without saying it directly

Example: “He is always late, his work isn’t the best.” – Are you implying I am bad at my job?!

Apologise to (someone) for + -ing – say “sorry”

Example: She apologised to me for being late.

Encourage (someone) to + verb – say positive things to motivate someone

Example: My dad encouraged me to continue with my studies.

Beg to / beg for – ask in a very strong or emotional way

Example: He begged her to stay. / He begged for help.

Claim that... – say something is true (but we’re not sure)

Example: John claims that he can do 100 press ups without a problem.

Suggest that... – offer an idea

Example: “We could get a Chinese takeaway,” he suggested.

Admit + -ing – finally say you did something (after denying it)

Example: After two days he admitted stealing money from my purse.

Deny + -ing – say you did not do something

Example: He denied stealing money from the bank he works at.

Promise to + verb – say you will 100% do something

Example: Simon promised to be here at 5 p.m.

Remind (someone) to + verb – tell someone not to forget something

Example: “Do you have the book?” – “Of course, you reminded me every 10 minutes on WhatsApp.”

Insist that + verb 1 / insist on + -ing – repeat strongly that something must happen

Example: I wanted to go to a restaurant, but Mike insisted that we go to the cinema.

Complain to (someone) about (something) – say you are unhappy about something

Example: He complained to the waiter about being too slow.

Whisper – say something very quietly

Example: He whispered “I love you” in my ear before we went to bed. It was so romantic.

Practice: Choose the Correct Reporting Verb

Complete the sentences with the correct reporting verb from the list above.

1. I asked him to help me, but he ________.
   “No, no, no, I am not helping.”
2. She ________ me to stay. She even started crying!!
   “Please, please, please stay!”
3. James ________ we go to the cinema, but I wasn’t really interested.
   “Come on, let’s go there, it’ll be great, you’ll enjoy it.”
4. He called me last night and ________ me ____ what he said.
   “I’m really sorry for what I said.”
5. Bob ________ James to bring his football so there shouldn’t be any problems.
   “Don’t forget your football, James.”
6. It was horrible. She ________ to the manager about the food. It was embarrassing.
   “Excuse me, this food is cold, undercooked and disgusting.”
7. He didn’t say it exactly, but he ________ we could lose our jobs.
   “The company has lost lots of money and there will be some big changes, no good ones I’m afraid.”
8. He ________ punching the boy in the playground.
   “I didn’t do it. Sam is lying.”
9. I didn’t want to take the penalty in the match, but our captain, Stepan, ________ me to take it.
   “You can do it. You’re great at taking penalties, I believe in you.”

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Answer Key

1. refused
2. begged
3. insisted
4. apologised (to me)
5. reminded
6. complained
7. implied
8. denied
9. encouraged