Collins Cobuild English Grammar (143 page)

assume

believe

claim

consider

discover

estimate

expect

feel

find

guarantee

hold

know

observe

think

understand

seem
and
appear

7.70
    If you want to say that something appears to be the case, you can use either of the verbs
seem
and
appear
. These verbs can be used as reporting verbs followed by a
that
-clause or they can be used with a
to
- infinitive. You can use this structure to give your own opinion or that of someone else. The subject of
seem
or
appear
is
it
, used impersonally.

It seemed that she had not been careful enough
It seemed that he had lost his chance to win.
It appears that he followed my advice.

Alternatively, you can use a structure involving
seem
or
appear
and a
to
-infinitive clause. The main person or thing involved in the fact that appears to be true is put as the subject of the reporting verb.

She seemed to like me.
He appears to have been an interesting man.
The system appears to work well.

If you want to mention the person whose viewpoint you are giving, you can add a prepositional phrase beginning with
to
after
seem
or
appear
.

It seemed
to Jane
that everyone was against her.

USAGE NOTE

7.71
    There are a few expressions containing impersonal
it
that are used as reporting clauses before
that
-clauses to show that someone suddenly thought of something:
It occurred to me
,
It struck me
, and
It crossed my mind
.

It occurred to her
that someone was missing.
It crossed my mind
that somebody must have been keeping things secret.

Referring to the speaker and hearer

referring to the speaker

7.72
    You usually use a reporting verb to report what one person has said or thought, so the subject of a reporting verb is usually a singular noun.

Henry
said that he wanted to go home.
He
claimed his health had been checked several times at a clinic.

When you report the statements, opinions, orders, or questions of a group of people, you can use a plural noun or a collective noun as the subject of the reporting verb.

The judges
demanded that the race be run again.
The committee
noted that this was not the first case of its kind.

When you report what was said on television or radio, or what is printed or written in a newspaper or other document, you can mention the source or means of communication as the subject of a reporting verb.

The newspaper
said he was hiding somewhere near Kabul.
His contract
stated that his salary would be £50,000 a year.

Note that you can also use
say
with nouns such as
sign
,
notice
,
clock
, and
map
as the subject.

The notice said that attendants should not be tipped.
A sign over the door said Dreamland Cafe.
The road map said it was 210 kilometres to the French frontier.

use of the passive

7.73
    As explained in paragraph
7.69
, when you want to avoid mentioning the person who said something, you can use a reporting verb in the passive.

It was said that some of them had become insane.
He was said to be the oldest man in the firm.

If you want to avoid mentioning the person giving an order or giving advice, you use a passive reporting verb with the person who receives the order or advice as the subject.

Harriet was ordered to keep away from my room.

USAGE NOTE

7.74
    If you want to distance yourself from a statement you are making, you can show that you are reporting what someone else has said by using a phrase beginning with
according to
, rather than using reported speech.

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
.