The police officer warned us not to go in there.The guide told us to wait for her in reception.We can also use an infinitive to report imperatives, with a reporting verb like tell, order, instruct, direct or warn. They advised us not to write our passwords down.
'It's not a good idea to write your passwords down.'
'I'll do the report by Friday, for sure.' Verbs like advise, agree, challenge, claim, decide, demand, encourage, invite, offer, persuade, promise, refuse and remind can follow an infinitive pattern. Many reporting verbs can be followed by another verb in either an infinitive or an -ing form. However, we can also use other reporting verbs. When we tell someone what another person said, we often use the verbs say, tell or ask. Reported speech 3 – reporting verbs: 1 Grammar explanation
Indirect speech: He denied finishing the coffee. Indirect speech: He told us to wait there.ĭirect speech: 'It wasn't me who finished the coffee,' he said. Indirect speech: She persuaded me to come. Look at these examples to see how reporting verbs are used.ĭirect speech: 'You should come, it's going to be a lot of fun,' she said.
