Reporting Verbs Reporting verbs are generally used for reporting what someone says, thinks or believes. Direct speech is the terms used when we give the exact words someone used. Help! he shouted. Can I help you? the policeman asked. Shoot for goal! screamed Tarmidzie.. Indirect or Reported speech is used when we give our own version of what someone has said. Dad said I couldn t go to the movies. He thinks I should study instead. Reporting Verbs What is a reporting Verb? Many students quickly learn how to use say, tell, ask, reply and thought. As writers are generally reporting what someone has already said, it generally needs to be written in the past tense. Reported Speech is sometimes called Indirect Speech What did your father say when you asked him to buy you a computer? He said I d have to save at least half myself!. What s wrong with the car? I asked. I think the battery is flat, Nazwan replied. Did you tell Sharifa about netball training on Saturday afternoon? - 1 -
Yes, I told her, but she can t come because she is going to Miri. Do you think you did well in the Maths exam? I thought I knew the topics well, but now I m not so sure. Task A. Underline the reporting verbs in the following passage. So, when exactly did you see Jodie last? asked the detective. Well, it would have been Friday night, at about 10.30 Sam replied. The detective stared at Sam intently and finally said Did she say anything to you? Sam sighed I ve already explained that she told me she was going up the coast for a few days Did she say when she d be back?, demanded the detective She said she d be back sometime next week. Look, what s going on here, I get the feeling that you think I had something to do with her disappearance! Sam shouted. A body was discovered this morning which matches her description, muttered the detective. Oh no, Sam moaned. Writing becomes boring and repetitive if you use only a few verbs. Other verbs can be use to describe or summarise what people say without repeating the same thing over and over again. There are a number of other reporting verbs which can more accurately describe what someone has said. 1. Some verbs are often followed by if or whether : ask decide know remember say see I can t decide whether or not I ll go to Kota Kinabalu in the holidays. 2. Some reporting verbs are followed by an optional that. add admit agree announce answer argue boast claim comment complain confirm consider deny doubt estimate explain fear feel insist mention observe persuade propose remark remember reply report reveal say state suggest suppose tell think understand repeat warn The boy s mother warned him that it was dangerous to play near the road. My doctor suggested that I should increase my fitness level. - 2 -
3. Some verbs can be followed by either a that clause or a to infinitive: advise beg decide demand expect guarantee hope insist promise prefer propose recommend request swear suggest threaten Siti decided that she would save up for an mp3 player. Siti decided to save up for an mp3 player. The courier guaranteed to deliver the parcel in three days. The courier guaranteed that he would deliver the parcel in three days. 4. Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question word: decide describe discover discuss explain forget guess imagine know learn realise remember reveal say see suggest teach tell think understand wonder The boy couldn t explain why he threw the brick through the window. I couldn t understand how I had spent so much money. 5. Some verbs can followed by object + to-infinitive advise agree ask beg command forbid instruct invite teach tell warn Last year, my lawyer advised me to increase my house insurance. My grandfather taught me to play chess. Nurul Izah s cousin invited her to go to Miri during the holidays. - 3 -
Task B: Choose reporting verbs from the box to complete the following sentences. Remember to think carefully about which tense to use. warn complain admit agree deny promise wonder realise congratulate refuse suggest 1. Sam having anything to do with Jodie s disappearance. 2. Hjh Amira about the cost of repairs to her airconditioner. 3. The thief that he had stolen the jewellery. 4. "Don't drive too quickly, it s been raining heavily Zul s grandfather. 5. I tried to to the examiner why I was late. 6. Noor Azizah s friends her on obtaining 6 credits in her O Level exams. 7. Why don't you go to the dentist if your tooth hurts? Amirah. 8. Ak. Hafiuddin Ck.Jalal that he wouldn t be late again. 9. Syafiq to eat his vegetables. 10. Suddenly, I I was being followed. Task C Many writers choose reporting verbs carefully to indicate how a person is feeling, or what they are thinking. accuse admit agree allege announce apologise argue assume assert believe blame claim conclude concede consider contend demonstrate demand determine doubt discover discuss encourage explain feel find guess hope hypothesize indicate imagine imply indicate infer maintain notice recommend say show note offer predict presume propose prove record refer report respond retort reveal show suggest state theorize threaten urge - 4 -
Part A: Choose suitable reporting verbs to complete the following passages The geography teacher was drawing a diagram on the board when suddenly a mobile phone ring tone could clearly be heard around the room. Whose mobile phone was that? the teacher. It s Azizah s, Ridwan. No. it s not!, Azizah. I didn t bring mine today Well, the teacher, You know the school rules, the teacher. You shouldn t have your mobile at school. No-one will be going to break until I find out whose mobile it is. The class amongst themselves, quietly. Faizul that he should be let out because he had an appointment with the principal. Four of the boys they needed to see Ck. Jalal, the P.E. teacher. Finally, the students seated near Ridwan him to own up. Ridwan eventually that it was his phone, and the class could go to break on time. Part B: Opinion has been divided in recent years on the effects of global warming. Scientists have recently increased evidence of global warming and they that there has been an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. Global warming is caused by gas emissions from vehicles and industries. Scientists that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century. Looking at future impacts, some scientists that a warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists the issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming caused by human activities. Average global temperature has increased by almost 1ºF over the past century. Scientists the average global temperature to increase an additional 2 to 6ºF over the next one hundred years. This may not sound like much, but it could change the Earth's climate as never before. At the peak of the last ice age (18,000 years ago), the temperature was only 7ºF colder than it is today, and glaciers covered much of North America! However, others that this is the case. They that what is currently happing is part of a long-term cycle of climate change, which alters gradually over time, causing floods, cyclones. They that there will soon be a of the current changes. - 5 -
Review : Things to remember when using reporting verbs include : changes in verb tenses If the reported sentence deals with a fact or general truth, the present tense is (can be) retained. She said that the moon causes the tides "I'm going home" said Ali. Ali said he was going home. changes in expressions of time "I'm going home tomorrow" He said he was going home the following day. changes in personal pronouns and possessive adjectives "I'm going to visit my uncle tomorrow" He said he was going to visit his uncle the following day. - 6 -
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