Reporting Verbs: Suggest, Insist, Deny & More

Level B2 · Reported Speech

Some reporting verbs don't fit the simple 'backshift a statement' or 'tell someone to do something' patterns — each has its own fixed grammar that has to be learned verb by verb. suggest, recommend, and propose describe an idea for action; insist expresses firm insistence; deny and admit report what someone did or didn't do; apologize reports regret about a past action.

Match each verb to its own pattern:

• suggest/recommend/propose + -ing: He suggested going to the beach; She recommended trying the new café. (never suggested to go — suggest never takes to + infinitive; propose can also take to + infinitive, but only in its other sense of 'intend': I propose to postpone the meeting)
• suggest/recommend/propose + that + subject + (should) + base verb: He suggested that we go to the beach (or, more formally, that we should go) — the base verb stays the same for every subject, with or without should.
• insist + that + subject + base verb (or should + base verb), for a firm demand: She insisted that he apologize (or that he should apologize) — not insisted him to apologize.
• deny/admit + -ing, reporting what someone did or didn't do: He denied stealing the money; She admitted making a mistake — never denied to steal or admitted to make.
• apologize for + -ing, reporting regret: He apologized for being late; She apologized for forgetting the meeting.

The most common mistake is adding to + infinitive after suggest, recommend, deny, or admit — suggested to go, denied to steal, and admitted to make are all wrong; these verbs take either -ing or a that-clause, never to + infinitive. A second frequent error: adding do-support to insist that — she insisted that he doesn't come is wrong; the clause after insist that uses the base verb (that he not come) or should, not ordinary present-tense agreement.

Look for suggest/recommend/propose/insist + that, or suggest/recommend/propose/deny/admit + -ing, and apologize for + -ing — and check that to + infinitive never follows any of these verbs directly.

Practice

Suggest, Recommend & Insist · Deny, Admit, Apologize & Mixed Practice