Explanation & English Practice exercises: choosing reporting verbs - EP4-07G

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Upper intermediate English grammar explanation and practice exercises

 

Introduction to reporting verbs

So far, we have looked at the verb tenses needed to report speech, and at the method for handling positive statements, negative statements; yes/no-answer questions and information-answer questions. Now we look at some of the verbs we can use in reporting.

There are a very large number of reporting verbs.  Here we have just a dozen or so of them. Often, if we want to report speech, we need to look beyond the words ‘said’ ‘told’ or ‘asked’, to see what is/was actually going on. Look at these examples:

A “I’m fed up with this cold weather,” my grandmother said.*

B “We could go to the cinema.” Sally said.*

The first of these is a complaint and the second is a suggestion. We should therefore use the verbs complain and suggest to describe what happened.

   A. My grandmother complained that she was fed up with the cold weather.

   B. Sally suggested going to the cinema.

 

Notice also that we can often shorten the reporting, with no loss of meaning:

My grandmother complained about the cold weather.

 

Exercise A

Here are ten more similar examples of speech, with the ten verbs needed to report them:

1) make sure that you understand the meanings of the ten verbs; then

2) Which verb goes with each piece of direct speech? Write the verb next to the number 1, 2, 3…10 which it describes, as in the example:

tell / explain / offer / wonder / insist / invite / deny / warn / order / recommend / advise  

0.   ‘Look,’ Peggy repeated, ‘I really do want to go and see this film.’ insist

 

1.    “I don’t know who sent you that Valentine’s card, Vicky,” said Alex, ‘But it definitely wasn’t me.”

 

2.    “Would you like to come for supper on the fourteenth?” Marion and Graham asked us.

 

3.    “You know, ‘New England’ jackets are excellent,” said Lily, ‘they’re stylish, practical and not too expensive: in my experience there’s nothing better.”

 

4.    “You know, Henry, I worked on the fishing boats for five years as a young man,” said Jack.

 

5.    ‘Should I phone Jenny again, or should I wait a bit longer,” Anita asked herself.

 

6.    “Can I help you with your bag?” she asked the old lady.

 

7.    “Get out!” said the teacher angrily.

 

8.    “You had better be careful,” my mother said, “that landlord is going to turn nasty if you get behind with the rent.”

 

9.    “You click on properties, choose double-sided on the print-type drop down menu, then click on OK,” said Shirley.

 

10. “If I were you, I would consult a professional before you make your decision,” Roy said.

 

The above has been set up as an exercise. In real conditions, an English writer might well use the verb you have chosen for your report – “Look,” Peggy insisted, “I really do want to go and see this film.”

 

When we want to report the words said above, we should not only find a suitable verb to describe what the speaker says, or how the words are spoken, but also we need to follow the verb of our choice with the correct construction. Many students, for example, know that we can say: “She told me to see a doctor”, but not: “She said me to see a doctor.” In the same way, each verb requires a specific grammar form to go with it. Consult the reference table R4-09G, or paste it into ‘word’ and print it. Then do the next exercise.

Exercise B:

Report what was said in each sentence above, using the verb you have chosen. Remember also to look at the possibility of shortening the original sentence – provided you do not loose important information.

Example:

Peggy insisted that she really did want to see the film.

 

A……………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………….

 

B……………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

C………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

D………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

E……………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………

 

F………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

G………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

H…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

I…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

J……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..