The FBI confirmed that the substance was an explosive.
I explained that she would have to stay in bed.
This kind of reported clause is often called a that-clause, even though many occur without that.
Note that some relative clauses also begin with that. In such clauses, that is a relative pronoun, not a conjunction. Relative clauses are explained in paragraphs 8.83 to 8.116.
verbs used with that-clauses
7.30 Here is a list of verbs that are often used as reporting verbs with that-clauses:
accept
acknowledge
add
admit
agree
allege
announce
answer
argue
assert
assume
assure
believe
boast
claim
comment
complain
concede
conclude
confirm
consider
contend
convince
decide
deny
determine
discover
dispute
doubt
dream
elicit
estimate
expect
explain
fear
feel
figure
find
foresee
forget
gather
guarantee
guess
hear
hold
hope
imagine
imply
inform
insist
judge
know
lament
learn
maintain
mean
mention
note
notice
notify
object
observe
perceive
persuade
pledge
pray
predict
promise
prophesy
read
realize
reason
reassure
recall
reckon
record
reflect
remark
remember
repeat
reply
report
resolve
reveal
say
see
sense
speculate
state
suggest
suppose
suspect
swear
teach
tell
think
threaten
understand
vow
warn
wish
worry
write
Note that some of these verbs are only used in reported speech in some of their senses. For example, if you say He accepted a present you are using accept as an ordinary verb.
A few of these verbs can or must be used with an object that refers to the hearer. See paragraphs 7.75 to 7.76.
Some of these verbs, such as decide and promise, can also be used with a to-infinitive. See paragraphs 7.39 and 7.45.
Some other verbs, such as advise and order, can be used as reporting verbs with that-clauses only if the that-clause contains a modal or a subjunctive. That-clauses of this kind are discussed in paragraph 7.43.
position of reported clauses
7.31 You usually put the reporting clause before the that-clause, in order to make it clear that you are reporting rather than speaking directly yourself.
I said that I would rather work at home.
Georgina said she was going to bed.
However, if you want to emphasize the statement contained in the reported clause, you can change the order and put the reported clause first, with a comma after it. You do not use that to introduce the clause.
All these things were trivial, he said. She was worried, he thought.
If the reported clause is long, you can put the reporting clause in the middle.
Ten years ago, Moumoni explained, some government people had come to inspect the village.
Reporting questions
7.32 As well as reporting what someone says or thinks, you can also report a question that they ask or wonder about.
Questions in reported speech are sometimes called reported questions or indirect questions.
the reporting verb
7.33 The reporting verb most often used for reporting questions is ask. Questions can be reported in a more formal way using enquire or inquire.
I asked if I could stay with them.
He asked me where I was going.
She inquired how Ibrahim was getting on.
7.34 When you report a question:
So the question Did you enjoy it? could be reported: I asked her if she had enjoyed it.
Questions are explained in paragraphs 5.10 to 5.34.
yes/no questions
7.35 There are two main types of question, and so two main types of reported speech structure for questions.
One type of question is called a yes/no question. These are questions that can be answered simply with yes or no.
When you report a yes/no question, you use an if-clause beginning with the conjunction if, or a whether-clause beginning with the conjunction whether.
You use if when the speaker has suggested one possibility that may be true. Do you know my name? could be reported as A woman asked if I knew her name.
She asked him if his parents spoke French.
Someone asked me if the work was going well.
He inquired if her hair had always been that colour.
You use whether when the speaker has suggested one possibility but has left open the question of other possibilities. After whether, you can suggest another possibility, or you can leave it unstated.
I was asked whether I wanted to stay at a hotel or at his home.
She asked whether the servants were still there.
I asked Professor Fred Bailey whether he agreed.
A policeman asked me whether he could be of help.
Sometimes the alternative possibility is represented by or not.
The barman didn’t ask whether or not they were over eighteen.
They asked whether Britain was or was not a Christian country.
For more information about yes/no questions, see paragraphs 5.12 to 5.14.
7.36 There are a few other verbs that can be used before if-clauses or whether-clauses, because they refer to being unsure of facts or to discovering facts.