Here is a list of reporting verbs that can be followed by a that-clause containing a modal or a subjunctive:
advise
agree
ask
beg
command
decree
demand
direct
insist
intend
order
plead
pray
prefer
propose
recommend
request
rule
stipulate
suggest
urge
Note that advise, ask, beg, command, order, and urge can also be used with an object and a to-infinitive, and agree, pray, and suggest can also be used with that-clauses without a modal.
7.44 When someone makes a suggestion about what someone else should do, or about what they themselves and someone else should do, you can report this using one of the reporting verbs suggest, advise, propose, or recommend followed by an -ing participle.
Barbara suggested going to another coffee-house.
Deirdre proposed moving to New York.
reporting intentions and hopes
7.45 When you are reporting an action that the speaker (the subject of the reporting verb) intends to perform, you can report it in two ways. You can either report it simply as an action, using a to-infinitive clause, or you can report it as a statement or fact, using a that-clause.
For example, promises relate to actions (eg He promised to phone her) but they can also be seen as relating to facts (eg He promised that he would phone her).
The verb phrase in the that-clause always contains a modal.
I promised to come back.
She promised that she would not leave hospital until she was better.
I decided to withhold the information till later.
She decided that she would leave her money to him.
I had vowed to fight for their freedom.
She vowed that she would not leave her home.
Here is a list of verbs that can be used either with a to-infinitive or with a that-clause containing a modaclass="underline"
decide
expect
guarantee
hope
pledge
promise
propose
resolve
swear
threaten
vow
7.46 Claim and pretend can also be used with these two structures, when you are saying that someone is claiming or pretending something about himself or herself. For example, He claimed to be a genius has the same meaning as He claimed that he was a genius.
He claimed to have witnessed the accident.
He claimed that he had found the money in the forest.
Note that the to-infinitive can be in the perfect form: to have + -ed participle, when you are referring to a past event or situation.
7.47 Note that a few verbs that indicate personal intentions can be used only with a to-infinitive.
I intend to say nothing for the present.
They are planning to move to the country.
I don’t want to die yet.
Here is a list of these verbs:
intend
long
mean
plan
refuse
want
Reporting uncertain things
7.48 When you are reporting an action that someone is wondering about doing themselves, you can use a to-infinitive beginning with whether.
I’ve been wondering whether to retire.
He didn’t know whether to feel glad or sorry at his dismissal.
Here is a list of verbs that can be used with to-infinitive clauses of this kind:
choose
debate
decide
know
wonder
Note that choose, decide, and know are usually used in a negative or interrogative clause, or a clause with a modal.
When you are mentioning information about something involved in an action, you can use a to-infinitive after a wh-word as the reported clause.
I asked him what to do.
I shall teach you how to cook.
Here is a list of verbs that can be used with to-infinitives of this kind:
describe
discover
discuss
explain
forget
guess
imagine
know
learn
realize
remember
reveal
say
see
suggest
teach
tell
think
understand
wonder
As an alternative to both kinds of to-infinitive, you can use a clause containing should.
I wondered whether I should call for help.
He began to wonder what he should do now.
All the verbs in the above lists, except choose and debate, can also be used with ordinary clauses beginning with whether or wh-words. See paragraphs 7.35 to 7.38.
Time reference in reported speech
7.49 This section explains how to show time reference in reported speech. Descriptions of time reference in reported speech often give a simplified system that involves changing the tense in the actual words spoken, so that a present tense would be changed to a past tense, and a past tense would be changed to the past perfect. In fact, tense changes in reported speech are affected by several factors other than time, such as whether you wish to distance yourself from what was said, or whether you want to emphasize the fact that a statement is still true.
past tense for both verbs
7.50 If you are reporting something that was said or believed in the past, or if you want to distance yourself from what the other person said, you usually use a past tense for both the reporting verb and the verb in the reported clause.
She said you threw away her sweets.
Brody asked what happened.
In the Middle Ages, people thought the world was flat.
reporting verb in other tenses
7.51 If you are reporting something that someone says or believes at the time that you are speaking, you use a present tense of the reporting verb.
A third of adults say that work is bad for your health.
I think it’s going to rain.
However, you can also use a present tense of the reporting verb when you are reporting something said in the past, especially if you are reporting something that someone often says or that is still true.