Out loud, before anything else — don't worry about mistakes, just talk.
Think about the last time you had to own up to something small — being late, forgetting something, eating the last biscuit. What did you actually say? Say the excuse and the admission out loud.
Jess: Did you end up talking to Priya about the flat?
Tom: I did. She was fuming at first, but she admitted staying out that late without texting was rough on me too.
Jess: Good. And the money you lent her?
Tom: I offered to let it go, actually. But she insisted — she persuaded me to let her pay it back in two parts instead of one.
Jess: Did you finally apologise properly, though?
Tom: I did. I promised to text next time I'm out late. She warned me not to make her wait up again.
Look at what Tom does in this short exchange — four different reporting verbs, four different shapes. Can you name the pattern each one uses? Say it, then check.
Admit, deny, suggest and recommend go straight into -ing — no "to", no person in between.
What's the shared shape? Say it, then check.
1. Your brother swears he didn't eat the last slice of cake, but there's chocolate on his shirt. When you press him, he finally cracks. Complete with admit + -ing (eat):
"He finally the last slice."
2. You and a friend are deciding what to do about dinner — neither of you wants to cook. Complete with suggest + -ing (order):
"I takeaway instead."
3. Your flatmate insists she never touched your charger, even though you saw it in her bag. Complete with deny + -ing (take):
"She it."
Out loud, use admit, deny, suggest and recommend — one each — about something from your own week: something you admitted, something you denied, something you suggested doing, and something you'd recommend.
Persuade, warn, remind and encourage always take a person before "to".
What sits between the verb and "to" every time? Say it, then check.
1. Your friend was terrified of the roller coaster and refused to go near it. By the end of the day, you'd completely changed her mind. Complete with persuade + to-infinitive (go), finishing with "on it":
"I finally ."
2. The trainer could see the new guy about to lift the bar with his back, not his knees. Complete with warn + not + to-infinitive (lift), finishing with "like that":
"The trainer ."
3. Your little sister wanted to quit piano after one hard lesson, but you didn't let her give up. Complete with encourage + to-infinitive (keep going):
"I for one more week."
Think of someone you've persuaded, warned, reminded or encouraged to do something this year. Tell the story out loud, using at least two of these verbs with their object + to-infinitive shape.
Offer, promise, refuse, threaten and agree take a plain to-infinitive — no object, no -ing.
Who's doing the driving, calling, refusing? Say it, then check.
1. Your neighbour borrowed your ladder in June — it's now October. Complete with promise + to-infinitive (return), naming the ladder:
"He within the week."
2. The airline lost your bag, and when you asked for a refund for what you had to buy, they said no — flatly. Complete with refuse + to-infinitive (cover), naming the cost:
"They ."
Many of today's verbs also work with that + a full clause — useful when you want to keep more of the detail or the other person's exact tense: "She promised that she'd call." "He admitted that he'd forgotten." "The waiter warned us that the kitchen was closing."
3. A friend texts you: "Careful — the lift's broken again." Report this using warn + that (the lift / be broken):
"She again."
Tell me about a promise someone made to you and either kept or broke, and something someone once refused to do for you. Use offer, promise, refuse, threaten or agree — and try one sentence with "that" as well.
Everything together, out loud. This is the whole point of the lesson.
Think of a real (or invented) disagreement, apology, or broken promise from the last few months.
Talk for one minute. Cover:
Now ask me about a time I had to own up to something, warn someone, or make — and maybe break — a promise. Use at least three different reporting verbs in your questions.
Write the 3–5 sentence version you'd text a friend afterwards, retelling what happened. Use as many of today's four shapes as you can; the checker will tell you which it finds.
Real conversation never tells you which shape to use. Here everything's shuffled.
1. "After weeks of silence, he finally ___ he'd been avoiding her calls."
2. "The lifeguard ___ them not to swim past the flags."
3. "She ___ to lend him the money, even though everyone told her not to."
Each one has a single grammar slip. Say the correct version out loud first, then type the whole sentence.
4. "He suggested me to go to the doctor."
5. "She denied to steal the biscuit."
6. Talking about the kids and the stove: "He warned to not touch the stove."
7. "They agreed helping with the move."
1. What's the difference between "she said she was tired" and "she told me she was tired"? Say the rule, then check.
2. Your flatmate keeps overstaying at parties you host. Complete with want + object + to-infinitive (leave) — the basic pattern behind today's verb + object + to-infinitive family:
"I by midnight next time."
3. A friend's been putting off telling her boss she's leaving. Complete with suggest + -ing (write):
"I a resignation letter this weekend, before you lose your nerve."
4. Your gran keeps forgetting to take her tablets. Complete with remind + to-infinitive (take):
"Can you her medication before you leave?"
5. Your landlord kept saying no to fixing the boiler — this time, though. Complete with agree + to-infinitive (fix), finishing with "it":
"He finally by Friday."
Close the loop: which of today's four shapes do you already use naturally, and which one still needs you to stop and think? Say why, out loud.
We said: four reporting-verb shapes so you can retell an argument, an apology, or a broken promise with one strong verb instead of plain "said". Tick what's true: