Voice and Speech
Say, tell and other reporting verbs
Choose the reporting verb that says what the speaker was really doing, and know which of them must name the listener straight afterwards.
When you report what somebody said, you choose a verb — and that choice is not decoration. Said tells the reader almost nothing. Warned, admitted, promised and denied each tell the reader in one word what kind of thing was going on. This is the year reported speech stops being a mechanical exercise and starts being a choice.
tell takes the listener; say does not
She told me the answer. She said the answer. What you cannot write is She said me the answer — say needs to first: She said to me. Tell, remind and inform all name the listener straight away; say, explain and reply all need to.
The fixed phrases
Some pairings are simply settled by habit and cannot be reasoned out. Tell the time, tell a joke, tell a secret. Say goodbye, say thank you, say a few words. Learn them as whole phrases rather than as a rule.
speak and talk
Speak goes with languages: she speaks Portuguese. Talk goes with a conversation: talk to somebody about something. Neither of them can take the words that were spoken — you cannot talk a story — and speak keeps to a few set phrases, like speak the truth.
The interesting part is the wider family. Admitted says the speaker owned up to something. Denied says they refused to accept it. Warned carries danger; advised carries a suggestion; promised carries a commitment; explained carries a reason. Read the spoken line, decide what was being done, and then reach for the verb that names it.
Worked example
Report this with the best verb: The lifeguard said, "Do not swim past the yellow flags."
Ask what the speaker was doing. This is not information — it is a danger being pointed out.
The verb is chosen from what was being done, never from the grammar of the sentence.
Try it together
Let us report four spoken lines, choosing the verb each one earns.
Four things said at the same bus stop: (1) "The three o'clock bus has been cancelled because of the strike." (2) "Do not stand so close to the road." (3) "It was me who lost the tickets." (4) "I will pay you back tomorrow, I give you my word."
1.Line one is plain information, with a reason behind it. Write the one reporting verb that means gave the reason for something.
Have a go
The doctor said, "You should rest for a week." Which verb reports it best?
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.