Reporting in your own words: report structures

7.24 When you report what people have said using your own words rather than the words they actually used, you use a report structure.

The woman said she had seen nothing.

I replied that I had not read it yet.

You usually use a report structure when you report what someone thinks.

He thought she was worried.

Report structures are sometimes called indirect speech. A report structure consists of two parts. One part is the reporting clause, which contains the reporting verb.

I told him that nothing was going to happen to me.

I have agreed that he should do it.

I wanted to be alone.

The other part is the reported clause.

I could have answered that my mind was open.

He felt that he had to do something.

He wondered where they could have come from.

You usually put the reporting clause first, in order to make it clear that you are reporting rather than speaking directly yourself.

Henry said that he wanted to go home.

The exact words that Henry used are unlikely to have been 'I want to go home', although they might have been. It is more likely that he said something like 'I think I should be going now'. You are more likely to report what he meant rather than what he actually said.

There are many reasons why you do not quote a person's exact words. Often you cannot remember exactly what was said. At other times, the exact words are not important or not appropriate in the situation in which you are reporting.

7.25 There are several types of reported clause. The type you use depends on whether you are reporting a statement, a question, an order, or a suggestion.

Most reported clauses either are 'that'-clauses or begin with a 'to'-infinitive. When a question is being reported, the reported clause begins with 'if', 'whether', or a 'wh'-word. The use of 'that'-clauses as reported clauses is discussed in paragraphs 7.26 to 7.28. Reported questions are discussed in paragraphs 7.29 to 7.35. The use of 'to'-infinitive clauses in report structures is discussed in paragraphs 7.36 to 7.45.

Reporting statements and thoughts

7.26 If you warn to report a statement or someone's thoughts, you use a reported clause beginning with the conjunction 'that'.

He said that the police had directed him to the wrong room.

He wrote me a letter saying that he understood what I was doing.

Mrs Kaul announced that the lecture would now begin.

In informal speech and writing, the conjunction 'that' is commonly omitted.

They said I had to see a doctor first.

She says she wants to see you this afternoon.

He knew the attempt was hopeless.

I think there's something wrong.

In each of these sentences, 'that' could have been used. For example, you can say either 'They said I had to see a doctor first' or 'They said that I had to see a doctor first'.

'That' is often omitted when the reporting verb refers simply to the act of saying or thinking. You usually include 'that' after a verb which gives more information, such as 'complain' or 'explain'.

His brother complained that the office was not businesslike.

I explained that she would have to stay in bed.

This kind of reported clause is often called a 'that'-clause, even though many occur without 'that'.

Note that some relative clauses also begin with 'that'. In these clauses 'that' is a relative pronoun, not a conjunction. Relative clauses are explained in paragraphs 8.83 to 8.116.

verbs used with 'that'-clauses 7.27 Here is a list of verbs which are often used as reporting verbs with 'that'-clauses:

accept acknowledge add admit agree allege announce answer argue assert assume assure believe boast claim comment complain concede conclude confirm consider

contend convince decide deny determine discover dispute doubt dream elicit estimate expect explain fear feel figure find foresee forget gather guarantee

guess hear hold hope imagine imply inform insist judge know learn maintain mean mention note notice notify object observe perceive persuade

pledge pray predict promise prophesy read realize reason reassure recall reckon record reflect remark remember repeat reply report resolve reveal be rumoured

say see sense state suggest suppose swear teach tell think threaten understand vow warn wish worry write

Note that some of these verbs are only used in report structures in some of their senses. For example, if you say 'He accepted a present' you are using 'accept' as an ordinary transitive verb.

A few of these verbs can or must be used with an object referring to the hearer. See paragraphs 7.71 to 7.72.

Some of these verbs, such as 'decide' and 'promise', can also be used with a 'to'-infinitive clause. See paragraphs 7.36 and 7.42.

Some other verbs, such as 'advise' and 'order', can be used as reporting verbs with 'that'-clauses only if the 'that'-clause contains a modal or a subjunctive. 'That'-clauses of this kind are discussed in paragraph 7.40.

position of reported clauses 7.28 You usually put the reporting clause before the 'that'-clause, in order to make it clear that you are reporting rather than speaking directly yourself.

I said that I would rather work in the forest.

Georgina said she was going to bed.

However, if you want to emphasize the statement contained in the reported clause, you can alter the order and put the reported clause first, with a comma after it. You do not use 'that' to introduce the clause.

All these things were trivial, he said.

She was worried, he thought.

If the reported clause is long, you can put the reporting clause in the middle.

Ten years ago, Moumoni explained, some government people had come to inspect the village.