Across all three parts of this chapter, people keep telling other people what to do — Tabart pushing for new laws, developers proposing wildlife-friendly building plans, researchers recommending changes to protect habitat. 'Say' alone can't carry that meaning. Suggest, recommend, and propose are the verbs for putting an idea forward, and they share one grammar pattern.
RULE
suggest / recommend / propose + (that) + subject + base form — no 's', no 'to', no tense change, even after a past-tense reporting verb.
When there's no separate subject (the speaker means themselves), use suggest/recommend/propose + -ing instead.
Never say 'suggest someone to do something' — that pattern simply doesn't exist in English, even though the translation tempts learners toward it.
TIP
If you can rephrase the idea as 'It would be a good idea if...', it's almost certainly a suggest-type verb.
EXAMPLES
Direct: 'Let's design the whole estate around the koalas' habitat,' the planner said.→ Reported: The planner suggested (that) they design the whole estate around the koalas' habitat.
Direct: 'The government should pass the National Koala Act,' Tabart said.→ Reported: Tabart recommended (that) the government pass the National Koala Act.
Direct: 'Let's fit some of the koalas with radio transmitters,' the researcher said.→ Reported: The researcher suggested fitting some of the koalas with radio transmitters.
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Quiz · choose one option per question
Choose the correct reported form.
1.'Let's ban dogs and cats from the estate,' the planner said.→ The planner suggested (that) they dogs and cats from the estate.
2.'The council should protect this habitat,' Tabart said.→ Tabart recommended (that) the council the habitat.
3.'Let's raise the fences 30 centimetres,' the builder said.→ The builder suggested the fences 30 centimetres.
4.'You should survey the local population first,' the scientist said.→ The scientist recommended (that) they the local population first.
5.'Let's put ropes in the swimming pools,' someone proposed.→ Someone proposed ropes in the swimming pools.
6.'The Foundation should fund more research,' Schaefer said.→ Schaefer suggested (that) the Foundation more research.
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Theory · read before you start
Reporting Verbs: Insist
Insist is trickier than it looks, because its grammar pattern depends on WHO is doing the action — the speaker themselves, or someone else.
RULE
insist (that) + subject + base form — use this when the insister wants someone ELSE to do the action.
insist on + -ing — use this when the insister is doing the action themselves.
Both forms express firm determination, stronger than 'suggest' — the speaker won't accept 'no'.
TIP
Ask: is the insister demanding the action from someone else, or refusing to let anyone stop them from doing it themselves? That decides which pattern to use.
EXAMPLES
Direct: 'You must register your land as protected habitat,' the officer said.→ Reported: The officer insisted (that) the landowner register their land as protected habitat.
Direct: 'I'll walk through the forest myself and see it with my own eyes,' Tabart said.→ Reported: Tabart insisted on walking through the forest herself.
Direct: 'We really must verify this data before publishing it,' the researcher said.→ Reported: The researcher insisted (that) they verify the data before publishing it.
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Gap fill · type your answer in each gap
Complete each reported sentence with the correct form of insist.
1.'I'll see the sanctuary for myself,' the visitor said.→ The visitor insisted the sanctuary for herself.
2.'You must attend the meeting,' Tabart said to the landowners.→ Tabart insisted (that) the landowners the meeting.
3.'I'll pay for the tour myself,' the tourist said.→ The tourist insisted for the tour herself.
4.'We must check every tree on the site,' the surveyor said.→ The surveyor insisted (that) they every tree on the site.
5.'I'll carry the equipment myself,' Schaefer said.→ Schaefer insisted the equipment himself.
6.'You must sign the new agreement,' the lawyer said.→ The lawyer insisted (that) the landowner the new agreement.
This group all share a simple, symmetrical pattern — a person, an object, and a to-infinitive. They differ only in tone: advise and remind are neutral, warn signals danger, and encourage/persuade both involve convincing someone, though persuade implies actually succeeding.
These verbs always need an object — you can't say 'she advised to leave', only 'she advised them to leave'.
TIP
Persuade is the only one of these five that implies success — you can 'try to persuade' someone and fail, but if you simply 'persuade' them, they actually did it.
EXAMPLES
Direct: 'You should talk to a lawyer first,' Tabart said to the farmers.→ Reported: Tabart advised the farmers to talk to a lawyer first.
Direct: 'Don't get too close to the koala,' Thompson said to the tourists.→ Reported: Thompson warned the tourists not to get too close to the koala.
Direct: 'Remember to fit the transmitter carefully,' the vet said.→ Reported: The vet reminded the researcher to fit the transmitter carefully.
Direct: 'Please come and see the sanctuary — you'll love it,' the guide said.→ Reported: The guide encouraged the visitors to come and see the sanctuary.
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Correct the mistakes · type the correct word in the box
The highlighted word contains a mistake. Write the correct form.
1.
Tabart advised the farmers talk to a lawyer first.
↳
2.
Thompson warned the tourists to not get too close to the koala.
↳
3.
The vet reminded to fit the transmitter carefully.
↳
4.
The guide encouraged come and see the sanctuary.
↳
5.
The officer persuaded that the landowner register the land.
↳
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Theory · read before you start
Reporting Verbs: Deny, Admit, Consider
This group reports someone's relationship to an action they may or may not have done — denying it happened, admitting it happened, or weighing it as an option. All three take the same simple pattern.
RULE
deny / admit / consider + -ing.
Never 'deny to do' or 'admit to do' — these verbs behave like normal verbs followed by a gerund, not like advise-type verbs.
Deny and admit are opposites: deny rejects responsibility, admit accepts it.
TIP
Consider here doesn't mean 'think about' in general — it means weighing a specific action as a real possibility, so it's always followed by an -ing form, never 'to' + infinitive.
EXAMPLES
Direct: 'We didn't clear that land illegally,' the developers said.→ Reported: The developers denied clearing that land illegally.
Direct: 'Yes, we made a mistake with the fencing,' the builder said.→ Reported: The builder admitted making a mistake with the fencing.
Direct: 'We might move the sanctuary to a bigger site,' the director said.→ Reported: The director was considering moving the sanctuary to a bigger site.
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Quiz · choose one option per question
Choose the correct form.
1.'We didn't damage the forest,' the company said.→ The company denied the forest.
2.'Yes, we cleared that land without permission,' the firm admitted.→ The firm admitted that land without permission.
3.'We might build a second sanctuary,' the director said.→ The director was considering a second sanctuary.
4.'I didn't ignore the safety rules,' the guide said.→ The guide denied the safety rules.
5.'Yes, we underestimated the cost,' the planners admitted.→ The planners admitted the cost.
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Theory · read before you start
Reporting Verbs: Offer, Promise, Threaten, Refuse
This last group makes commitments about the future — offering help, promising to act, threatening a consequence, or refusing outright. Unlike the advise-type group, these verbs go straight to a to-infinitive with no object in between.
RULE
offer / promise / threaten / refuse + to-infinitive directly — no object between the verb and 'to'.
If an object appears at all, it comes with a preposition, not directly after the verb: 'threatened them with legal action', not 'threatened them legal action'.
Promise can also take a that-clause ('promised (that) they would help'), but the to-infinitive form is more common and more compact.
TIP
Compare with advise-type verbs: 'she advised them to leave' (object required) vs. 'she promised to leave' (no object at all). Mixing these two patterns up is one of the most common B2-level mistakes.
EXAMPLES
Direct: 'We will support the new sanctuary,' the mayor said.→ Reported: The mayor promised to support the new sanctuary.
Direct: 'I'll help you carry the equipment,' Schaefer said.→ Reported: Schaefer offered to help carry the equipment.
Direct: 'I will never sell this land,' the landowner said.→ Reported: The landowner refused to sell the land.
Direct: 'If you don't stop, we'll take legal action,' the lawyer said.→ Reported: The lawyer threatened to take legal action.
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Gap fill · type your answer in each gap
Complete each reported sentence with the correct form.
1.'I'll drive you to the sanctuary,' Thompson said.→ Thompson offered them to the sanctuary.
2.'We will submit the Act next year,' Tabart said.→ Tabart promised the Act next year.
3.'I will never sign this agreement,' the landowner said.→ The landowner refused the agreement.
4.'If you don't leave, we'll call the rangers,' the guide said.→ The guide threatened the rangers.
5.'I'll check the figures again,' the researcher said.→ The researcher offered the figures again.
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Sentence transform · type your rewritten sentence
Rewrite each direct quote as reported speech, using the verb given in brackets. This mixes all five patterns from this lesson — check which pattern each verb needs before you answer.
1.'Let's protect the whole habitat, not just part of it,' Tabart said. (suggest)
2.'I'll check every fence myself,' the inspector said. (insist)
3.'Don't feed the koalas,' the guide said to the visitors. (warn)
4.'We didn't clear that land illegally,' the firm said. (deny)
5.'I will never allow building on this site,' the landowner said. (refuse)
6.'You should talk to the Foundation first,' Schaefer said to the developers. (advise)