Special Introductory Verbs

Introductory verb

Direct Speech

Reported Speech

agree + to-inf

"Yes, I’ll come with you."

-> He agreed to come with me.

demand

"Tell me everything!"

-> He demanded to be told everything.

offer

"Would you like me to carry it?"

-> He offered to carry it.

promise

I'll study more."

-> He promised to study more.

refuse

"No, i won't come with you."

-> He refused to come with me.

threaten

"Behave yourself or I'll punish you."

-> He threatened to punish me if I didn't behave myself.

claim

"I heard her say that."

-> He claimed to have heard her say that.

advise + sb + to-inf

"You should take a coat."

-> He advised me to take a coat.

allow

"You can use my phone."

-> He allowed me to use his phone.

ask

"Please, put it away."

-> He asked me to put it away.

beg

"Please, please help me."

-> He begged me to help him.

command

"Fire!"

-> He commanded the soldiers to fire.

encourage

"Go ahead, phone her."

-> He encouraged me to phone her.

forbid

"You mustn't eat sweets."

-> He forbade me to eat sweets.

instruct

"Insert your card and wait for the machine to open."

-> He instructed me to insert my card and wait for the machine to open.

invite sb

"Would you like to come to my house?"

-> He invited me to go to his house.

order

"Sit down immediately."

-> He ordered me to sit down immediately.

permit

"You may speak now."

-> He permitted me to speak.

remind

"Don’t forget to pay the bill."

-> He reminded me to pay the bill.

urge

"Finish your work."

-> He urged me to finish my work.

warn

"Don’t touch that switch."

-> He warned me not to touch that switch.

want

"I’d like you to go out."

-> He wanted me to go out.

accuse sb of + -ing form

"You broke the vase."

-> He accused me of breaking the vase.

apologise for

"I'm sorry I upset you."

-> He apologized for upsetting /having upset me.

admit (to)

"Yes, I lied to her."

-> He admitted (to) lying /having lied to her.

boast about

"I am better than you."

-> He boasted about being better than me.

complain to sb about

"You never tidy up."

-> He complained to me about my never tidying up.

deny

"No, I didn’t steal the car."

-> He denied stealing/having stolen the car.

insist on

"You must wear warm clothes."

-> He insisted on me/my wearing warm clothes.

suggest

"Let’s go to the theatre."

-> He suggested going to the theatre.

agree + that-clause

"Yes, that is a beautiful hat."

-> He agreed that it was a beautiful hat.

boast

"I’m a brilliant dentist."

-> He boasted that he was a brilliant dentist.

claim

"I know the answer."

-> He claimed that he knew the answer.

complain

"You never listen to me."

-> He complained that I never listened to him.

deny

"I’ve never spoken to her."

-> He denied that he had ever spoken to her.

exclaim

"It’s wonderful!"

-> He exclaimed that it was wonderful.

explain

"It’s an easy recipe to follow."

-> He explained that it was an easy recipe to follow.

inform sb

"You will be called for an interview."

-> He informed me that I would be called for an interview.

promise

"I won’t lie to you again."

-> He promised that he wouldn't lie to me again.

suggest

"You ought to take the other road."

-> He suggested that I take the other road.

explain to sb + how

"This is how you make it."

-> He explained to me how to make it.

wonder where/what why/how + clause

(when the subject of the introductory verb is not the same as the subject in the reported question)

He asked himself, "How can she reach the top?"

He asked himself, "Where is Joan?"

He asked himself, "Why is she crying?" He asked himself, "What is she doing?"

-> He wondered how she could reach the top.

-> He wondered where Joan was.

-> He wondered why she was crying.

-> He wondered what she was doing.

wonder + whether + to-inf or clause wonder where/what/ how + to-inf

(when the subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the verb)

He asked himself, "Shall I buy that car?"

He asked himself, "Where am I going?" He asked himself, "What should I tell her?"

He asked himself, "How can I fix it?"

-> He wondered whether to buy that car.

-> He wondered whether he should buy that car.

->He wondered where he was going.

-> He wondered what he should tell her.

-> He wondered how to fix it.