Casa · C1 Advanced · Lesson 5 of 20 · Step 1
Advanced Reported Speech with Reporting Verbs
Words · tap a card to see it used
Grammar
Beyond 'said' and 'told', English has many reporting verbs that convey the speaker's attitude or intention. Pattern 1 (verb + that clause): deny, acknowledge, insist, maintain, claim, concede. Pattern 2 (verb + object + to infinitive): urge, warn, advise, remind, encourage. Pattern 3 (verb + -ing): deny doing, admit doing, suggest doing. The choice of reporting verb significantly affects how the reader interprets the reported speech. 'He admitted that…' implies guilt; 'He maintained that…' implies persistent belief despite opposition.
Exercises · type, then check
1. Report each direct quotation using the reporting verb given in brackets.
2. Match each reporting verb with the sentence pattern it most naturally takes.
Reading
In 2013, a former intelligence contractor acknowledged that he had leaked thousands of classified documents to journalists. The government immediately insisted that the disclosures had endangered national security, while the whistleblower maintained that the public had a right to know about mass surveillance programmes. Civil liberties organisations urged lawmakers to investigate the scope of the surveillance, but officials denied that any laws had been broken. Media outlets worldwide conceded that the story raised uncomfortable questions about the balance between security and privacy. Several newspapers warned their readers not to accept official narratives uncritically, while government spokespeople cautioned that the leaked information had been taken out of context. The whistleblower's legal team advised him to seek asylum abroad, and he subsequently admitted that he had anticipated the personal consequences of his actions. Years later, historians would acknowledge that the case had fundamentally altered the global conversation about digital privacy, even as governments continued to insist that their surveillance programmes were both lawful and necessary.
1. How did the government and the whistleblower differ in their characterisation of the disclosures?
2. What long-term significance do historians attribute to the case?
Speaking · say it out loud, with a partner or alone
Writing
Write a news summary (6–8 sentences) about a real or imagined controversy. Use at least five different reporting verbs to convey the positions of different parties involved.
Check your exercises first, then mark the lesson done.