Grammar: 🚀 Advanced Grammar: 💬➡️🗣️ Reported Speech (B2) - Lesson 4: Advanced Reporting Verbs (suggest, warn, offer, promise, deny, accuse + various structures)

🚀 Lesson 4: Advanced Reporting Verbs

Using 'said', 'told', and 'asked' is correct, but to sound more fluent and descriptive, advanced speakers use a wider range of reporting verbs¹. These verbs add nuance² by showing the original speaker's intention (e.g., were they promising, suggesting, denying?). The main challenge is learning the grammatical structure³ that follows each verb.

Pattern 1: Verb + to-infinitive

We use this pattern for verbs reporting offers, promises, refusals, and agreements.

offer: Direct: "Shall I help you?" → He offered to help me.
promise: Direct: "I will call you, I swear." → She promised to call me.
refuse: Direct: "No, I will not help." → He refused to help.

Pattern 2: Verb + gerund (-ing)

This pattern is common for verbs that report suggestions or denials.

suggest: Direct: "Let's go to a cafe in Battambang." → He suggested going to a cafe.
deny⁴: Direct: "I didn't steal the money." → The man denied stealing the money.

Pattern 3: Verb + object + to-infinitive

This familiar pattern is used with verbs that report advice, invitations, warnings, or reminders.

remind: Direct: "Don't forget to lock the door." → She reminded me to lock the door.
warn: Direct: "Don't drive too fast." → The police officer warned him not to drive too fast.
invite: Direct: "Would you like to come to my party?" → She invited me to come to her party.

Pattern 4: Verb + preposition + gerund (-ing)

Some important reporting verbs need a specific preposition before the gerund.

• accuse⁵ someone of + -ing: "You stole my ideas!" → She accused him of stealing her ideas.
• apologize for + -ing: "I'm sorry I was late." → He apologized for being late.
• insist on + -ing: "No, I must pay for the meal." → He insisted on paying for the meal.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Match the Pattern

Choose the correct word or form to complete each sentence.

1. He _______ to help me with my heavy bags. (offered / suggested)
   Answer: offered. The structure is 'offer + to-infinitive'.
2. The politician _______ taking any illegal money. (refused / denied)
   Answer: denied. The structure is 'deny + gerund'.
3. My teacher _______ me to enter the writing competition. (encouraged / insisted)
   Answer: encouraged. The structure is 'encourage + object + to-infinitive'.
4. He apologized _______ so much noise late at night. (for making / to make)
   Answer: for making. The structure is 'apologize for + gerund'.
5. His friend suggested _______ a trip to the coast for the holiday. (to take / taking)
   Answer: taking. The structure is 'suggest + gerund'.

📝 Homework: Report the Speech

Rewrite the direct speech using the advanced reporting verb in brackets.

1. "I will certainly be there on time," she said. (promise)
   Answer: She promised to be there on time.
2. "Why don't we try the new restaurant near the river?" he said. (suggest)
   Answer: He suggested trying the new restaurant near the river.
3. "You cheated on the exam!" the teacher said to the student. (accuse)
   Answer: The teacher accused the student of cheating on the exam.
4. "I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday," he said. (apologize)
   Answer: He apologized for not calling me yesterday.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Reporting Verb: (Noun Phrase) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទរាយការណ៍ (kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp réay'kaa) - The verb that introduces reported speech and adds tone (e.g., said, asked, warned, suggested). ↩
2. Nuance: (Noun) - អត្ថន័យលម្អិត (ât'thâ'nœ̆y lâm'ĭt) - A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. ↩
3. Structure: (Noun) - ទម្រង់ (tŭm'rɔng) - The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. ↩
4. Deny: (Verb) - បដិសេធ (bâ'dĭ'saeth) - To state that something is not true. ↩
5. Accuse: (Verb) - ចោទប្រកាន់ (chaot'prâ'kan) - To claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal. ↩