🗣️ Grammar · Reported Speech
Reporting Verbs & Their Patterns
Say more than “said” — deny doing, refuse to do, persuade someone to do, insist on doing — the five patterns that organise every reporting verb in English.
Grammar › Reported Speech › Reporting Verbs & Their Patterns
The rule in one sentenceEvery reporting verb locks into one of five patterns — verb + -ing (deny doing), verb + to-infinitive (refuse to do), verb + object + to-infinitive (persuade someone to do), verb + that-clause (insist that…) and verb + preposition + -ing (apologise for doing) — the verb chooses the pattern, so you memorise the verb.
Beyond “said”: verbs that carry the attitude
“Said” reports words but no attitude. A precise reporting verb compresses a whole speech act into one word: admit carries reluctance, refuse carries defiance, urge carries pressure. Strong writers — and strong exam candidates — reach past “said” constantly, and the price of that richness is grammatical: each verb demands its own structure after it.
The crucial insight is that the pattern belongs to the verb, not to the meaning. Deny and refuse are both ways of saying no, yet deny takes -ing and refuse takes the to-infinitive. There is no logic to discover; there is only a small set of patterns to learn, verb by verb, until they sound automatic.
🎬 Compare: “In Shirley Valentine, Shirley decides to stay in Greece” (decide + to-infinitive) vs. “she never regrets leaving her old routine behind” (regret + -ing).
Two verbs, two structures — and swapping them (“decides staying”, “regrets to leave”) instantly breaks both sentences.
This page is organised as a reference: five pattern groups, each with its core verbs and film examples. Learn the groups rather than isolated verbs — when you meet a new reporting verb, your first question should always be: which group does it join?
How to build it: the five pattern groups
1 · Verb + -ing
Critics recommend watching A Taste of Honey as a first taste of British kitchen-sink drama.
Few lovers of 1970s thrillers deny enjoying The Parallax View.
2 · Verb + to-infinitive
In The Last Detail, the two escorting sailors agree to show their young prisoner a good time on the way.
At the end of Shirley Valentine, Shirley refuses to slip quietly back into her old life.
3 · Verb + object + to-infinitive
In Klute, the detective persuades a New York call girl to help with his missing-person case.
Any honest friend will warn you not to expect a glossy Hollywood ending from A Taste of Honey.
negative: warn/advise + object + not to + verb4 · Verb + that-clause
Film historians insist that Mona Lisa contains Bob Hoskins’s finest performance — it won him the Best Actor prize at Cannes.
Many first-time viewers admit that the ending of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner still catches them off guard.
5 · Verb + preposition + -ing
In Billy Liar, Billy endlessly dreams of escaping to London.
Nobody could accuse Scrapper of copying anyone — its Sundance prize rewarded a genuinely fresh voice.
When to use which
One verb, one pattern — memorise it
- deny + -ing, never “deny to”: Billy can’t deny inventing stories in Billy Liar — invention is his whole life.
- refuse + to, never “refuse doing”: Shirley refuses to apologise for wanting more from life.
- suggest + -ing, never “suggest to”: She suggested watching Rye Lane — you can’t “suggest to watch” anything.
- persuade needs its object: persuade someone to do — “persuaded to watch” leaves the sentence hanging.
Verbs with two homes
- admit doing / admit that: Viewers admit crying at Shirley Valentine — or admit that it moves them. Same meaning, both correct.
- promise to do / promise that: I promise to watch Being There this week / I promise that I’ll watch it.
- insist that / insist on doing: He insists that we start with Saturday Night and Sunday Morning / He insists on starting with it.
- regret doing / regret to say: different meanings — see the tricky cases below.
No signal words — use the 30-second test instead
Reporting verbs have no marker words like “yesterday” or “yet” — the verb itself is the signal. When you meet a new one, run this quick test.
① Does it need a person? If you must say who is affected (persuade her, remind me, warn them), it’s group 3. ② Is there a preposition? If yes (apologise for, insist on, accuse of), the next verb is automatically -ing — group 5. ③ Otherwise, memorise it in a pair: chant deny doing, refuse to do until the wrong version sounds broken.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Shirley refuses returning to her old routine at the end of Shirley Valentine.
✅ Shirley refuses to return to her old routine at the end of Shirley Valentine.
“Refuse” belongs to the to-infinitive group — no exceptions, whatever the meaning.
❌ In Billy Liar, Billy dreams to escape to London.
✅ In Billy Liar, Billy dreams of escaping to London.
“Dream” carries the preposition “of” — and after any preposition, the verb must be -ing.
❌ My teacher persuaded to watch The Parallax View.
✅ My teacher persuaded me to watch The Parallax View.
Group 3 verbs (persuade, remind, encourage, warn) are incomplete without their object.
❌ She suggested to start with Being There.
✅ She suggested starting with Being There.
“Suggest” never takes a to-infinitive — use suggest + -ing, or suggest that + clause.
Exceptions & tricky cases
Four subtleties that turn a memorised list into real C1 control.
1. “Regret” changes meaning with its pattern. Regret + -ing looks backwards: Few people regret watching Klute — it won Jane Fonda an Oscar. Regret + to-infinitive is a formal announcement of bad news: We regret to inform you the screening is sold out.
2. “Suggest” never takes object + infinitive. Not “suggest you to watch”. Use a that-clause instead — Critics suggest that newcomers start with A Taste of Honey — where British English often adds “should”: …that newcomers should start…
3. “Insist” has two homes with a nuance. Insist on + -ing reports stubborn behaviour: He insists on watching his British classics in order. Insist that + clause reports the demand itself: He insisted that we begin with Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Albert Finney and all.
4. “Advise” flexes with and without an object. With one, group 3: I advise you to save The Parallax View’s ending for a spoiler-free first watch. Without one, it takes -ing: Critics advise going in blind. Both are correct — the object decides the pattern.
Practice: pick the right pattern
Eight quick questions. Pick the version that follows the verb’s pattern — you get the explanation either way.
1. In Shirley Valentine, Shirley finally decides ___ in Greece.
“Decide” joins the to-infinitive group: decide to stay.
2. In Billy Liar, Billy spends his days dreaming ___ to London.
Dream + of + -ing — after a preposition the verb is always -ing.
3. My film club suggested ___ with A Taste of Honey.
“Suggest” never takes a to-infinitive: suggest + -ing.
4. Their teacher persuaded ___ Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.
Persuade + object + to-infinitive — the person comes straight after the verb.
5. Nobody could accuse Scrapper ___ anyone else’s style.
Accuse + object + of + -ing — group 5’s preposition rule again.
6. In The Last Detail, the two sailors agree ___ their prisoner one last good weekend.
“Agree” takes the to-infinitive: agree to give.
7. Film historians insist ___ Mona Lisa features Bob Hoskins at his very best.
A full clause follows, so it’s insist that… — “insist on” would need an -ing form.
8. Few viewers regret ___ an evening on Being There.
Looking back at a past action → regret + -ing; “regret to” only announces formal bad news.
Keep going
Related lessons in Reported Speech:
📬 New grammar lessons land every week — subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this page so you never miss one ↘