Casa ESL · C1 Advanced · Unit 5 of 20 · Step 1
Advanced Reported Speech with Reporting Verbs
Name
Date
Vocabulary
whistleblower
nounA person who exposes illegal or unethical activity within an organisation.
"The whistleblower's revelations led to a congressional investigation."
corroboration
nounConfirmation or support of a statement or claim by additional evidence.
"The journalist sought corroboration from three independent sources."
redact
verbTo censor or obscure parts of a text before publication for legal or security reasons.
"Several key paragraphs had been redacted from the released documents."
allegation
nounA claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, without proof.
"The allegations of corruption were denied by all parties involved."
unprecedented
adjectiveNever done or known before; without previous example.
"The scale of the data breach was unprecedented in the industry's history."
implicate
verbTo show someone to be involved in a crime or wrongdoing.
"The leaked emails implicated several senior officials."
retract
verbTo withdraw a statement or accusation as untrue or unjustified.
"The newspaper was forced to retract the article after legal proceedings."
culpability
nounResponsibility for a fault or wrong; deserving of blame.
"The inquiry sought to establish individual culpability within the organisation."
Grammar Focus
Advanced reported speech with reporting verbs
Beyond 'said' and 'told', English has many reporting verbs that convey the speaker's attitude or intention. Pattern 1 (verb + that clause): deny, acknowledge, insist, maintain, claim, concede. Pattern 2 (verb + object + to infinitive): urge, warn, advise, remind, encourage. Pattern 3 (verb + -ing): deny doing, admit doing, suggest doing. The choice of reporting verb significantly affects how the reader interprets the reported speech. 'He admitted that…' implies guilt; 'He maintained that…' implies persistent belief despite opposition.
The minister denied that any funds had been misallocated.
The whistleblower urged the committee to investigate the matter immediately.
Officials acknowledged that the response had been inadequate but insisted that reforms were underway.
The CEO warned investors not to expect short-term returns.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Report each direct quotation using the reporting verb given in brackets.
1. 'I did not leak the documents.' (deny) → He the documents.
2. 'You should consult a lawyer immediately.' (urge) → She a lawyer immediately.
3. 'Yes, mistakes were made, but we are fixing them.' (acknowledge / insist) → They but them.
4. 'Be careful — the source may not be reliable.' (warn) → He reliable.
5. 'I was not involved in any way.' (maintain) → She in any way.
Exercise 2
Match each reporting verb with the sentence pattern it most naturally takes.
Reading
Holding Power to Account
In 2013, a former intelligence contractor acknowledged that he had leaked thousands of classified documents to journalists. The government immediately insisted that the disclosures had endangered national security, while the whistleblower maintained that the public had a right to know about mass surveillance programmes. Civil liberties organisations urged lawmakers to investigate the scope of the surveillance, but officials denied that any laws had been broken. Media outlets worldwide conceded that the story raised uncomfortable questions about the balance between security and privacy. Several newspapers warned their readers not to accept official narratives uncritically, while government spokespeople cautioned that the leaked information had been taken out of context. The whistleblower's legal team advised him to seek asylum abroad, and he subsequently admitted that he had anticipated the personal consequences of his actions. Years later, historians would acknowledge that the case had fundamentally altered the global conversation about digital privacy, even as governments continued to insist that their surveillance programmes were both lawful and necessary.
1. How did the government and the whistleblower differ in their characterisation of the disclosures?
2. What long-term significance do historians attribute to the case?
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner or your teacher.
Writing
Write a news summary (6–8 sentences) about a real or imagined controversy. Use at least five different reporting verbs to convey the positions of different parties involved.
Example: A major pharmaceutical company has denied that it suppressed unfavourable trial data. Researchers involved in the study insisted that the results had been selectively reported. The company's CEO urged shareholders to disregard what he called 'baseless allegations', while a former employee acknowledged that internal protocols had not been followed. Health regulators have warned the public not to discontinue medication pending a formal investigation.
Answer Key — For Teacher Use
Exercise 1
1. denied leaking / denied having leaked · 2. urged him to consult · 3. acknowledged that mistakes had been made / insisted that they were fixing · 4. warned that the source might not be · 5. maintained that she had not been involved
Exercise 2
1. deny → + -ing (denied doing) or + that clause · 2. urge → + object + to infinitive (urged them to act) · 3. insist → + that clause (insisted that it was true) · 4. warn → + object + not to / + that clause · 5. concede → + that clause (conceded that errors occurred)
Reading Comprehension
1. The government insisted the disclosures endangered national security, while the whistleblower maintained the public had a right to know about mass surveillance programmes. · 2. Historians acknowledge that the case fundamentally altered the global conversation about digital privacy.