Reporting Verb Patterns
This page is an extension of the Verb Patterns page, specifically focusing on Reporting Verbs, since there are enough of those to consider on their own. If you have not yet watched that video and read the rest of content on the Verb Patterns page, we recommend you do that first.
Out of the 200 or so verbs listed in the Verb Patterns video and topic page, not many reporting verbs were included. Most of those that did make an appearance were in the ‘influence’ group. Reporting Verbs is a large enough category that they deserve a topic unto themselves.
Reporting Verbs fall into much of the same patterns that other Verb Complements do. Again, one of the key distinctions is whether the focus is on the future or not.
Future
agree to ______
offer to ______
promise to ______
refuse to ______
threaten to ______
allow [someone] to ______
convince [someone] to ______
dare [someone] to ______
invite [someone] to ______
persuade [someone] to ______
remind [someone] to ______
warn [someone] not to ______
Past or Present
accuse [someone] of ______ing
admit ______ing
apologize for ______ing
deny ______ing
report ______ing
Notice that when a preposition follows the reporting verb, the verbal should be of the _____ing form. Another reoccurring distinction is whether whatever was expressed has a specific or a general application.
Specific
demand to ______
promise to ______
threaten to ______
advise [someone] to ______
allow [someone] to ______
ask [someone] to ______
encourage [someone] to ______
forbid [someone] to ______
permit [someone] to ______
remind [someone] to ______
urge [someone] to ______
General
advise ______ing
allow ______ing
discuss ______ing
encourage ______ing
forbid ______ing
permit ______ing
recommend ______ing
urge ______ing
Reported imperative sentence will almost always involve to _____, which makes sense since imperatives a specific instructions concerning the (often near-) future.
Finally, if an indirect object is used, to _____ is the right form more often than not.