Reporting verbs — full range

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Reed Hastings insisted that subscriber growth would continue. He did not deny the scale of the loss; he urged investors to focus on long-term strategy. Indra Nooyi conceded that her early ambition had cost her time with her family.

Grammar Reference · Reporting verbs — full range

claim / insist / deny

She claimed that the target had been met. — reporting an assertion, possibly disputed

admit / concede /

He admitted that the forecast had been wrong. — reporting something accepted reluctantly

urge / advise /

She urged investors to focus on the long term. — reporting a recommendation with an object + infinitive

Common error

He refused doing it. ✗ → He refused to do it. ✓ — refuse always takes to + infinitive

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Reporting verbs — full range

1.The manager that the team had met every target that quarter.

2.The CEO to release the internal audit results before the deadline.

3.She that the original forecast had been too optimistic.

4.The board the finance director to present a revised growth strategy.

5.He that any data had been withheld from the shareholders.

6.The mentor her to pursue leadership roles earlier in her career.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1."I will not release the figures," said the director.

2."We did not mislead our investors," said the CEO.

3."You should focus on long-term performance," she told the board.

4."Yes, I was wrong about the forecast," he said.

5."The targets we set were deliberately ambitious," said Musk.

6."Take more risks in your first five years," she told young professionals.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Reporting verbs — full range01EnglishPlans.com