Reporting Verbs

English has many verbs for reporting what someone said — but each one follows its own grammatical rules. Choosing the wrong verb or the wrong pattern is one of the most common mistakes in reported speech.

This lesson covers 3 layers of reporting verbs, progressing from basic to advanced:

1. Say vs Tell — the essential pair with different grammar rules
2. Say, Tell, Speak & Talk — four commonly confused communication verbs
3. Advanced reporting verbs — 15+ verbs (agree, refuse, suggest, deny, etc.) grouped into 4 pattern families

The 4 pattern families are:

Once you understand which family a verb belongs to, you can use it correctly every time.

Prerequisite: This lesson focuses on which verb to choose and what grammar follows it. For the rules on tense backshift, pronoun changes, and time/place shifts that apply inside reported clauses, see Reported Statements.

Say vs Tell: The Core Distinction

The two most common reporting verbs — say and tell — follow different grammar patterns. The core rule is simple:

Tell always needs a person (told me, told him, told the class). Say usually does not take a personal object (said that...).

Grammar Patterns

The 3 Most Common Errors

These three mistakes account for the vast majority of say/tell errors:

Quick Rule

• No person mentioned? → Use say: He said he was leaving.
• Person mentioned? → Use tell + person (no "to"): He told me he was leaving.

Fixed Expressions

Some expressions always use say or tell, regardless of context:

Special Uses of Say

Written messages: Say is used for signs, notices, letters, and reports:

• The sign says "No parking".
• What does the email say?
• The weather forecast said it would rain.

Impersonal passive: The structure It is said that... means "people say that..." or "according to reports":

• It is said that the company will close next year.
• He is said to be the best doctor in the city.

This passive structure is common in news and formal writing. You cannot use told here — It is told that... is incorrect.

👉 Practice Say vs Tell →

Say, Tell, Speak & Talk

Beyond say and tell, two more communication verbs cause confusion: speak and talk. All four have distinct uses.

The Four-Verb Comparison

When to Use Speak

Languages: Speak is the only correct verb for language ability:

• She can speak three languages fluently.
• She can talk three languages. ✗

Formal / professional contexts: Speak to is more formal than talk to:

• Could I speak to the manager, please? (formal — phone, office)
• I'd like to speak to you about your performance. (serious, professional)

Public speaking: Speak is used for formal address:

• He doesn't like to speak in public.
• The president spoke at the opening ceremony.

Fixed phrases with speak:

generally speaking, strictly speaking, broadly speaking, roughly speaking Actions speak louder than words.

When to Use Talk

Conversations (informal): Talk emphasizes the social, interactive nature of communication:

• We need to talk about the budget.
• We talked for hours on the phone.
• Who were you talking to just now?

Fixed expressions with talk:

talk nonsense / rubbish / sense, talk business / shop, talk politics

Babies learning language: Learn to talk is more natural than learn to speak for children's first words:

• The baby is learning to talk.

Speak to vs Talk to

Both are correct, but they differ in tone:

👉 Practice Say, Tell, Speak & Talk →

Advanced Reporting Verbs: Patterns & Structures

Beyond the four basic communication verbs, English has many reporting verbs — and each follows a specific grammatical pattern. The key to using them correctly is knowing which pattern family each verb belongs to.

Master Reference Table

Note: Some verbs appear in more than one family because they can take multiple patterns (e.g., agree to do and agree that...; claim to be and claim that...; admit doing and admit that...).

Verb + To-Infinitive

These verbs are followed by to + base verb:

Perfect infinitive — When the reported action happened before the reporting, use to have + past participle:

• The witness claimed to have seen the suspect near the bank at midnight. (The seeing happened before the claiming.)

Verb + -ing

These verbs are followed directly by the -ing form:

⚠️ Verb Pattern Trap — suggest & recommend

Suggest and recommend take -ing — they do NOT take object + to-infinitive:

Incorrect	Correct
She suggested me to go.	She suggested going. / She suggested that I (should) go.
The teacher recommended us to read.	The teacher recommended reading. / The teacher recommended that we (should) read.

Don't confuse these with advise, which does take object + to-infinitive:

• The doctor advised me to rest. ✓ (advise + person + to-inf)
• The doctor suggested me to rest. ✗ (suggest cannot take this pattern)

This is one of the most common advanced reporting verb errors.

Verb + That-Clause

These verbs are followed by that + subject + verb:

⚠️ Pattern trap — explain

Explain does NOT take a person as a direct object. You must use "to":

Incorrect	Correct
He explained me the problem.	He explained the problem to me. / He explained that there was a problem.

Verb + Preposition + -ing

These verbs require a specific preposition before the -ing form:

Important: In object to and confess to, the word "to" is a preposition (not part of an infinitive), so it must be followed by -ing — not a base verb.

• He objected to working overtime. ✓
• He objected to work overtime. ✗

For more on the verb + object + to-infinitive pattern (tell, ask, advise, warn, remind, order), see Reported Commands & Requests, which covers these verbs in detail.

👉 Practice Advanced Reporting Verb Patterns →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

How to Choose Say, Tell, Speak or Talk

Follow this decision flow:

1. Talking about language ability? → Use speak (speak French, speak three languages)
2. Describing a conversation? → Use talk (informal) or speak (formal) (talk about, speak to)
3. Reporting what someone communicated?
   • Person mentioned as listener? → tell + person (told me that...)
   • No person? → say (said that...)
4. Is it a fixed expression? → Check the fixed expression tables above (tell the truth, say goodbye, talk business, generally speaking)

Advanced Reporting Verb Pattern Card

Key Warnings

• suggest / recommend → -ing or that-clause — NEVER object + to-infinitive
• explain → that-clause or noun + to person — NEVER person as direct object
• deny → -ing — NEVER to-infinitive
• object to / confess to → "to" is a preposition → followed by -ing

Practice Tips

1. Master say vs tell first. Before learning advanced verbs, make sure you can automatically choose between said and told. The one-question test: "Is there a person?" If yes → told + person. If no → said.

2. Learn verbs by pattern family. Don't memorize verbs one by one. Group them: "agree, refuse, promise, threaten, offer — these all take to + infinitive." Patterns are easier to remember than individual rules.

3. Watch out for the suggest/recommend trap. These two verbs trick almost everyone. Write this rule on a sticky note: suggest/recommend + -ing (NOT suggest someone to do). Test yourself until it feels automatic.

4. Use reporting verbs to retell your day. Each evening, describe what people around you said using different reporting verbs: "My colleague suggested going for lunch. The boss insisted on finishing the report first. My friend offered to help me move."

5. Read the news. News articles are full of reporting verbs — claimed, denied, admitted, explained, insisted. Notice which patterns journalists use, and you will absorb the correct structures naturally.

Practice All Exercises

Put everything together with the comprehensive mixed practice set, then review any areas you want to strengthen:

👉 Practice Comprehensive Mixed →

Now try the exercises to practise what you've learned!