What you'll learn
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to use reporting verbs like suggest, offer, admit, deny and warn to report speech with more precision than "said".
When do I use it?
Reporting verbs pack the speaker's intention into one verb, so you don't need "said" + extra words:
- suggest / recommend + -ing or that: "He suggested trying the new restaurant."
- offer / promise / refuse / agree + to + verb: "She offered to drive." "They agreed to help."
- admit / deny + -ing: "He admitted making a mistake." "She denied breaking the vase."
- warn / advise + someone + to + verb: "The doctor advised me to rest." "He warned us not to go."
- apologise for / insist on + -ing: "She apologised for being late."
How do I form it?
suggest + -ing / that + clause offer / promise / agree + to + verb admit / deny + -ing warn / advise + someone + to + verb
- He suggested meeting earlier.
- They promised to call us.
- She denied taking the money.
- The guide warned us not to swim there.
- We insisted on paying for dinner.
Common mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish speakers follow "suggest" with "that + subjunctive" ("sugerir que vayamos") and write "suggest us to go" — wrong. It's "suggest going" or "suggest that we go". "Deny" takes -ing: "negó haberlo hecho" = "he denied doing it", not "denied to do it". And "insist" takes "on + -ing": "insistió en pagar" = "insisted on paying", not "insisted to pay".
suggest/deny + -ing. offer/promise/agree + to + verb. warn/advise someone + to + verb.
Practice
Multiple Choice
B2Which sentence is correct?
Fill in the Blank
B2She denied the window.
Hint: 'Deny' takes the -ing form.
Find the Error
B2Sentence Transformation
B2Task: Report with offer
Hint: offer + to + verb.
Practice Speaking
Apply what you've learned in a real conversation with AI feedback.
Level: B2