Reporting statements
reporting clause + that-clause
When we report a statement, we often use a that-clause after the reporting clause:
Tom: I don't know her.
Tom told me that he didn't know her.
That is often omitted after certain reporting verbs in informal styles:
Tom told me he didn't know her.
Examples of reporting verbs used to report statements:
| Reporting verbs used with a that-clause | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| add admit agree announce answer argue boast |
claim comment complain confirm deny doubt estimate |
exclaim explain fear insist mention observe promise |
propose remark repeat reply report reveal be rumoured |
say state suggest suppose tell warn |
