According to Dime, he had strangled Jed in the course of a struggle.
referring to the hearer
7.75 After some reporting verbs that refer to speech, you have to mention the hearer as a direct object. Tell is the most common of these verbs.
I told them you were at the dentist.
I informed her that I was unwell and could not come.
Smith persuaded them that they must support the strike.
You can use these verbs in the passive, with the hearer as the subject.
She had been told she could leave hospital.
Members had been informed that the purpose of the meeting was to elect a new chairman.
She was persuaded to look again.
Here is a list of reporting verbs that must have the hearer as the direct object when they are used with a that-clause:
assure
convince
inform
notify
persuade
reassure
remind
tell
Here is a list of reporting verbs that must have the hearer as the direct object when they are used with a to-infinitive clause:
advise
beg
command
forbid
instruct
invite
order
persuade
remind
teach
tell
urge
warn
verbs with or without the hearer as object
7.76 After a few reporting verbs that refer to speech, you can choose whether or not to mention the hearer.
I promised that I would try to phone her.
I promised Myra I’d be home at seven.
The physicians warned that, without the operation, the child would die.
Thomas warned her that his mother was slightly deaf.
Here is a list of reporting verbs that can be used with or without the hearer as object when used with a that-clause:
ask
promise
teach
warn
Promise can also be used with or without an object when it is used with a to-infinitive. Ask has to be used with an object when it is used with a to-infinitive clause to report a request for the hearer to do something, but it is used without an object when the request is for permission to do something (see paragraphs 7.39 and 7.42).
the hearer in prepositional phrases
7.77 With many other reporting verbs, if you want to mention the hearer, you do so in a prepositional phrase beginning with to.
I explained to her that I had to go home.
‘Margaret’, I said to her, ‘I’m so glad you came.’
Here is a list of reporting verbs that are used with that-clauses or quotes and that need the preposition to if you mention the hearer:
admit
announce
boast
complain
confess
declare
explain
hint
insist
mention
murmur
propose
report
reveal
say
shout
suggest
swear
whisper
Propose and swear can also be used with a to-infinitive, but not if you mention the hearer.
I propose to mention this at the next meeting.
7.78 When you are describing a situation in which a speaker is speaking forcefully to a hearer, you can mention the hearer in a prepositional phrase beginning with at.
The tall boy shouted at them, Choir! Stand still!
Shut up! he bellowed at me.
Here is a list of reporting verbs that are used to describe forceful speech. If you want to mention the hearer, you use a prepositional phrase beginning with at:
bark
bellow
growl
grumble
howl
roar
scream
shout
shriek
snap
storm
thunder
wail
yell
7.79 With verbs that describe situations where both the speaker and the hearer are involved in the speech activity, you can mention the hearer in a prepositional phrase beginning with with.
He agreed with us that it would be better to have no break.
Can you confirm with Ray that this date is ok?
Here is a list of reporting verbs that take the preposition with if you mention the hearer:
agree
argue
confirm
plead
reason
7.80 With verbs that describe situations where someone is getting information from someone or something, you use a prepositional phrase beginning with from to mention the source of the information.
I discovered from her that a woman prisoner had killed herself.
Here is a list of reporting verbs where the source of the information is mentioned using from:
discover
elicit
gather
hear
infer
learn
see
reflexive pronouns
7.81 A reflexive pronoun is sometimes used as the object of a reporting verb or preposition in order to say what someone is thinking. For example, to say something to yourself means to think it rather than to say it aloud.
I told myself that he was crazy.
It will soon be over, I kept saying to myself.
Other ways of indicating what is said
objects with reporting verbs
7.82 Sometimes you use a noun such as question, story, or apology to refer to what someone has said or written. You can use a reporting verb with one of these nouns as its object instead of a reported clause.
He asked a number of questions.
Simon whispered his answer.
He told funny stories and made everyone laugh.
Philip repeated his invitation.
Here is a list of reporting verbs that are often used with nouns that refer to something spoken or written:
accept
acknowledge
ask
begin
believe
continue
demand
deny
expect
explain
forget
guess
hear
imagine
know
lay out
learn
mention
mutter
note
notice
promise
refuse
remember
repeat
report
set down
shout
state
suggest
tell
understand
whisper
write
7.83 Some reporting verbs can have as their objects nouns that refer to events or facts. These nouns are often closely related to verbs. For example, loss is closely related to lose, and instead of saying He admitted that he had lost his passport, you can say He admitted the loss of his passport.