A verb belonging to a class of verbs conveying the action of speaking and used with both direct and reported speech. Reporting verbs may also be used with a direct object and with an infinitive construction.
Example sentencesExamples
- When a reported matter is introduced by a reporting verb in the past tense, the shift from direct to reported speech is accompanied by a back-shift of the verb.
- The Introduction sections of some Ph.D theses were examined to determine the significance of verb form in reporting verbs like find or show.
- The other manifestation is the way in which reporting verbs are used to discuss one's own research or that of others.