Grammatical Patterns after Reporting Verbs | B2–C1 Grammar Guide

In this lesson, you will learn the most important grammatical patterns after reporting verbs, with clear explanations, natural examples and common mistakes to avoid. This topic is especially useful for B2 First, C1 Advanced, formal writing, reports, essays and Use of English tasks.

When we report what someone has said, thought, suggested, promised, admitted, denied or advised, we often use reporting verbs.

Common reporting verbs include:

say, tell, suggest, promise, advise, warn, admit, deny, claim, explain, recommend, persuade, encourage, remind, apologise, insist

However, reporting verbs do not all follow the same grammatical pattern.

This is where many English learners make mistakes.

For example, we say:

She advised him to apply.

But we do not say:

She suggested him to apply.

The correct forms are:

She suggested applying.
She suggested that he should apply.
She suggested that he apply.

What Are Reporting Verbs in English?

Reporting verbs are verbs we use to report what someone says, thinks, believes, advises, promises or recommends.

Compare these sentences:

“I’ll help you,” she said.
She promised to help me.

“You should speak to your manager,” he said.
He advised me to speak to my manager.

“I didn’t break the window,” the boy said.
The boy denied breaking the window.

Reporting verbs make your English more accurate, varied and advanced. Instead of using say again and again, you can choose a verb that shows the speaker’s intention.

Why Grammatical Patterns after Reporting Verbs in English Matter

The problem is not usually the meaning of reporting verbs. Learners often understand what advise, suggest, deny or promise mean.

The real difficulty is the grammar after the verb.

Some reporting verbs are followed by to + infinitive.
Some are followed by object + to + infinitive.
Some are followed by -ing.
Some need a preposition before -ing.
Some are followed by a that-clause.

If you learn reporting verbs by pattern, they become much easier to remember.

Pattern 1: Verb + to + Infinitive

Some reporting verbs are followed directly by to + infinitive.

Structure:

reporting verb + to + infinitive

Common verbs in this group include:

agree, offer, refuse, promise, threaten, decide, hope, claim, demand, pretend

She agreed to help with the project.
He refused to answer the question.
They promised to call us later.
The company offered to replace the damaged product.
He threatened to leave if the situation did not improve.
She decided to postpone the meeting.
He claimed to know the truth.
The customer demanded to speak to the manager.

This pattern is very common when the subject of the reporting verb is also the person who will do the action.

Pattern 2: Verb + Object + to + Infinitive

Some reporting verbs need an object before to + infinitive. The object is usually the person who receives the advice, instruction, warning or encouragement.

Structure:

reporting verb + person + to + infinitive

Common verbs in this group include:

advise, ask, tell, remind, encourage, persuade, invite, order, urge, warn, convince, teach

She advised him to take a break.
He asked me to send the report again.
They told us to wait outside.
My teacher reminded me to check my spelling.
Her colleagues encouraged her to apply for the job.
The manager persuaded them to accept the offer.
They invited us to attend the ceremony.
The officer ordered everyone to leave the building.
She urged him to reconsider his decision.
The sign warned visitors not to touch the equipment.

Notice that the object is necessary with many of these verbs.

Incorrect:

He advised to take a break.

Correct:

He advised me to take a break.

Incorrect:

She told to wait.

Correct:

She told us to wait.

Pattern 3: Verb + Object + Not + to + Infinitive

When the reported instruction, advice or warning is negative, we usually put not before to + infinitive.

Structure:

reporting verb + person + not + to + infinitive

She advised him not to spend all his money.
The doctor warned me not to ignore the symptoms.
They told us not to park outside the building.
My teacher reminded me not to forget the deadline.
The police ordered the crowd not to move.

This pattern is especially useful with verbs such as advise, warn, tell, remind and order.

Pattern 4: Verb + -ing Form

Some reporting verbs are followed by a gerund, which is the -ing form of the verb.

Structure:

reporting verb + -ing

Common verbs in this group include:

admit, deny, mention, suggest, recommend, regret, consider

She admitted lying about the situation.
He denied taking the money.
She mentioned seeing him at the conference.
They suggested leaving earlier.
The guide recommended visiting the museum in the morning.
He regretted saying those words.
They considered cancelling the event.

This pattern is very common in exam English.

Compare:

Direct speech:

“I lied about the situation,” she said.

Reported version:

She admitted lying about the situation.

Direct speech:

“I didn’t take the money,” he said.

Reported version:

He denied taking the money.

A Very Common Mistake with Suggest

One of the most common mistakes learners make is this:

Incorrect:

She suggested me to go.

Correct:

She suggested going.
She suggested that I should go.
She suggested that I go.

Suggest is not normally followed by object + to + infinitive.

In British English, suggest that someone should do something is very natural. The form suggest that someone do something is more formal, but it is also correct and useful in advanced English.

Pattern 5: Verb + Preposition + -ing

Some reporting verbs need a preposition before the -ing form.

Structure:

reporting verb + preposition + -ing

Common examples include:

apologise for, insist on, complain about, object to, admit to

accuse someone of, blame someone for, congratulate someone on, thank someone for

She apologised for being late.
He insisted on speaking to the manager.
They complained about waiting too long.
She objected to working at the weekend.
He admitted to making a mistake.
They accused him of lying.
She blamed him for causing the delay.
We congratulated her on passing the exam.
He thanked me for helping him.

Be careful with the preposition. It belongs to the verb pattern.

Incorrect:

She apologised being late.

Correct:

She apologised for being late.

Incorrect:

They accused him for lying.

Correct:

They accused him of lying.

Incorrect:

He insisted to speak to the manager.

Correct:

He insisted on speaking to the manager.

Pattern 6: Verb + That-Clause

Many reporting verbs can be followed by a that-clause. In informal English, that is often omitted.

Structure:

reporting verb + that + subject + verb

Common verbs in this group include:

say, claim, admit, deny, explain, suggest, insist, promise, warn, agree, announce, believe, argue, complain

She said that she was feeling tired.
He claimed that he had seen the suspect.
They admitted that they had made a mistake.
He denied that he had broken the rules.
She explained that the delay was due to traffic.
They suggested that the meeting should be postponed.
He insisted that he was telling the truth.
She promised that she would call later.
They warned that the storm would be severe.
The company announced that prices would increase in September.

In everyday English, we often leave out that:

She said she was feeling tired.
He claimed he had seen the suspect.
They admitted they had made a mistake.

However, in formal writing, using that can make the sentence clearer.

Pattern 7: Verb + Object + That-Clause

Some reporting verbs can be followed by an object and a that-clause.

Structure:

reporting verb + person + that + clause

Common verbs in this group include:

tell, warn, remind, convince, inform, assure

She told me that she was leaving.
They warned us that the roads were dangerous.
He reminded me that the meeting started at nine.
She convinced them that the plan would work.
The school informed parents that classes would finish early.
He assured me that everything was under control.

Be careful with say and tell.

Say does not take a direct personal object in this pattern.

Incorrect:

He said me that he was tired.

Correct:

He told me that he was tired.
He said that he was tired.
He said to me that he was tired.

In everyday English, told me is much more natural than said to me.

Say, Tell, Explain: Common Confusions

These three verbs cause many mistakes, so let’s look at them carefully.

Say

Use say when you report someone’s words.

She said she was tired.
He said that he would be late.
They said the hotel was very comfortable.

If you mention the listener, use say to someone.

She said to me that she was tired.
He said something interesting to the group.

However, in everyday English, tell is usually more natural when we mention the listener.

Tell

Tell is followed by an object.

She told me she was tired.
He told us not to worry.
They told the children to be quiet.

Incorrect:

She told she was tired.

Correct:

She told me she was tired.
She said she was tired.

Explain

Explain is not followed directly by a personal object.

Incorrect:

She explained me the problem.

Correct:

She explained the problem to me.
She explained that there had been a mistake.

Reporting Verbs with More Than One Pattern

Some reporting verbs can be used with more than one grammatical pattern. The meaning may stay similar, or it may change slightly.

Promise

promise + to + infinitive

promise + that-clause

She promised to help me.
She promised that she would help me.

Warn

warn + object + to + infinitive

warn + object + not + to + infinitive

warn + that-clause

warn + object + against + -ing

They warned us to be careful.
They warned us not to swim in the river.
They warned that the weather would get worse.
They warned us against swimming in the river.

Suggest

suggest + -ing

suggest + that-clause

She suggested going for a walk.
She suggested that we should go for a walk.
She suggested that we go for a walk.

Do not use:

She suggested us to go for a walk.

Admit

admit + -ing

admit + that-clause

admit to + -ing

He admitted making a mistake.
He admitted that he had made a mistake.
He admitted to making a mistake.

Deny

deny + -ing

deny + that-clause

She denied stealing the documents.
She denied that she had stolen the documents.

Recommend

recommend + -ing

recommend + that-clause

The doctor recommended resting for a few days.
The doctor recommended that he should rest for a few days.
The doctor recommended that he rest for a few days.

Useful Table: Grammatical Patterns after Reporting Verbs

verb + to + infinitive	agree, offer, refuse, promise, threaten, claim	He refused to answer.
verb + object + to + infinitive	advise, ask, tell, encourage, persuade, remind, warn	She advised me to wait.
verb + object + not + to + infinitive	advise, tell, warn, remind, order	They warned us not to enter.
verb + -ing	admit, deny, suggest, recommend, mention	He denied taking the money.
verb + preposition + -ing	apologise for, insist on, complain about, accuse of	She apologised for arriving late.
verb + that-clause	say, claim, admit, explain, suggest, promise, warn	He claimed that he knew the answer.
verb + object + that-clause	tell, warn, remind, inform, convince, assure	She told me that she was busy.

Common Mistakes with Reporting Verb Patterns

Mistake 1: Using suggest + object + to + infinitive

Incorrect:

She suggested me to apply for the job.

Correct:

She suggested applying for the job.
She suggested that I should apply for the job.

Mistake 2: Using explain + object

Incorrect:

He explained me the rules.

Correct:

He explained the rules to me.
He explained that the rules had changed.

Mistake 3: Using say with a direct object

Incorrect:

She said me that she was tired.

Correct:

She told me that she was tired.
She said that she was tired.

Mistake 4: Forgetting the object after tell

Incorrect:

He told that he was busy.

Correct:

He told me that he was busy.
He said that he was busy.

Mistake 5: Using the infinitive after deny

Incorrect:

He denied to take the money.

Correct:

He denied taking the money.
He denied that he had taken the money.

Mistake 6: Forgetting the preposition before -ing

Incorrect:

She apologised arriving late.

Correct:

She apologised for arriving late.

Incorrect:

He insisted speaking to the manager.

Correct:

He insisted on speaking to the manager.

Reporting Verbs in Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced

Grammatical patterns after reporting verbs are very useful for Cambridge exams, especially in:

Use of English
Key Word Transformations
formal emails
essays
reports
reviews
articles
speaking tasks

In Key Word Transformations, you may need to rewrite a sentence using a reporting verb.

Example:

“You should speak to your teacher,” my friend said.

ADVISED

My friend advised me to speak to my teacher.

Another example:

“I didn’t break the vase,” he said.

DENIED

He denied breaking the vase.

Another example:

“Why don’t we take a taxi?” she said.

SUGGESTED

She suggested taking a taxi.

Or:

She suggested that we should take a taxi.

Knowing the correct grammatical pattern helps you avoid mistakes and write accurate, advanced sentences.

How to Learn Reporting Verb Patterns

Do not try to memorise a long alphabetical list of reporting verbs. That is tiring, confusing and, frankly, a little cruel to your brain.

Instead, learn them in groups.

Learn these together:

promise to do something
refuse to do something
agree to do something
offer to do something

Then learn these:

advise someone to do something
encourage someone to do something
persuade someone to do something
warn someone not to do something

Then learn these:

admit doing something
deny doing something
suggest doing something
recommend doing something

Your brain loves patterns. Give it a tidy shelf, not a grammar cupboard after a small earthquake.

Final Thought on Reporting Verbs in English

Reporting verbs are not difficult because of their meanings. They are difficult because each one comes with its own grammatical pattern.

Some reporting verbs bring to + infinitive.
Some bring object + to + infinitive.
Some bring -ing.
Some bring a preposition.
Some bring a that-clause.

Once you learn these patterns, your English becomes more accurate, more natural and much more suitable for B2–C1 writing and speaking.

Reporting verbs are a little like guests at a traditional British dinner party: each one arrives with its own companion and quietly expects you to know the seating plan. Learn the pattern, and the whole evening runs beautifully.

Download the Grammatical Patterns after Reporting Verbs Practice Worksheet in PDF here

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Gerund and Infinitive

Sentence Transformations for B2 First

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