B2 reported speech: tense changes, questions and reporting verbs

Q: What is the difference between say and tell?

*Tell* needs a person after it: *She told me the news.* *Say* doesn't: *She said it was late.* If you want to mention the person after *say*, use *to*: *She said to me that…*

Q: How do you use suggest correctly?

Use *suggest + -ing* (*He suggested meeting later*) or *suggest + (that) + clause* (*He suggested that we meet later*). Never use *suggest someone to do something*.

Q: Which reporting verbs come up in key word transformations?

Common ones include *offer*, *refuse*, *promise*, *advise*, *warn*, *remind*, *persuade*, *deny*, *admit*, *suggest*, *apologise*, *accuse*, *blame* and *insist*. Learn each one with its pattern and an example sentence.

B2 reported speech means reporting what someone said with the right tense changes, the right word order for questions and, most importantly, the right pattern after reporting verbs such as suggest, apologise, warn and accuse. Reporting verbs are among the most common Part 4 answers. This page belongs to our B2 grammar guide.

By Eleanor BennettLast updated: 13 October 2026

What changes in reported speech

When we report what someone said, three things can change: the tense, the pronouns and time words, and the word order in questions. At B1 most learners know the basic tense changes. At B2 the big step is using reporting verbs with the correct pattern, because they summarise the speaker's purpose in one word: offer, refuse, remind, deny, admit.

Compare:

"I'll carry your bag," said Tom. → Tom said he would carry my bag. (B1)
"I'll carry your bag," said Tom. → Tom offered to carry my bag. (B2)

Both are correct, but the second one is shorter and more precise. In Use of English Part 4, the key word is very often a reporting verb, and you must know what follows it: an infinitive, an object + infinitive, an -ing form or a preposition + -ing. That makes this topic closely linked to verb patterns (gerund or infinitive). The passive versions, such as She is said to be…, are covered in our passive voice guide.

Do I always change the tense?

Not always. If the reporting verb is in the present (She says…), the tense stays the same. If what the person said is still true, you can keep the original tense: He told me he lives in Gdańsk (he still does). In the exam, though, the safe choice after a past reporting verb is to move the tense back.

Tense, time and question changes

Use it to…	Phrases
Tense backshift	present simple → past simple: "I work nights." → She said she worked nights. present continuous → past continuous: "We're leaving." → They said they were leaving. past simple / present perfect → past perfect: "I've lost my keys." → He said he had lost his keys. will → would, can → could, may → might: "I'll call you." → She said she would call me.
Time and place words	today → that day, tomorrow → the next day / the following day yesterday → the day before / the previous day next week → the following week, ago → before here → there, this → that
Reported questions (statement word order, no do / does / did)	"Where do you live?" → She asked me where I lived. "Have you finished?" → He asked if / whether I had finished. "What time does the museum open?" → I asked what time the museum opened.
Requests and orders: ask / tell + object + (not) to + infinitive	"Please wait outside." → The nurse asked us to wait outside. "Don't touch the screen." → He told the children not to touch the screen.

Reporting verbs and their patterns

Use it to…	Phrases
Verb + to + infinitive	agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, decide, claim Maya refused to lend me her notes.
Verb + object + to + infinitive	advise, warn, remind, encourage, persuade, invite, order, beg My coach advised me to rest for a week. She reminded him not to forget the tickets.
Verb + -ing	suggest, recommend, deny, admit, mention Paul denied breaking the vase. She suggested going by train.
Verb + preposition + -ing	apologise for, insist on, complain about, object to, confess to He apologised for being late.
Verb + object + preposition + -ing	accuse someone of, blame someone for, congratulate someone on, thank someone for, warn someone against They accused the referee of favouring the home team.
Verb + that clause	explain, admit, complain, point out, insist, suggest (that someone do / should do) She suggested that we leave early.

Typical B1 to B2 mistakes in reported speech

Trap: She suggested me to take a break. Italian suggerire di and Spanish sugerir que lead learners to use suggest + object + infinitive.
Fix: Suggest is never followed by object + infinitive. Say She suggested taking a break or She suggested (that) I take a break.
Trap: He said me that he was tired. Spanish me dijo and Italian mi ha detto put the person straight after the verb.
Fix: Say has no person object: He said (that) he was tired. Use tell with a person: He told me (that) he was tired.
Trap: She asked me where was the station. Keeping question word order.
Fix: Reported questions use statement order: She asked me where the station was.
Trap: He explained me the rules. A common transfer from many languages.
Fix: Explain something to someone: He explained the rules to me.
Trap: They accused him for cheating or She apologised to be late.
Fix: Learn the preposition with the verb: accuse someone of doing, apologise for doing, blame someone for doing.
Trap: Forgetting the negative position with orders: He told us to not shout or He told us don't shout.
Fix: Put not before to: He told us not to shout.

Worked example: a reporting verb transformation

The task

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

"It was you who left the fridge door open, Carla!" said her brother.

ACCUSED

Carla's brother ______ the fridge door open.

1.
Identify the grammar. The key word is a reporting verb, ACCUSED, so the task is about its pattern: accuse + someone + of + -ing.
2.
Find the person. Carla is the person being accused, so she must come straight after the verb: accused Carla.
3.
Add the preposition and the -ing form. Left becomes leaving after of: accused Carla of leaving.
4.
Count the words: accused + Carla + of + leaving = 4 words. The rest of the sentence (the fridge door open) is already there.
5.
Check the alternatives. accused her of leaving is also correct, because her clearly refers to Carla. accused Carla to leave and accused Carla that she left are wrong patterns and would get no marks.

Answer

Carla's brother accused Carla of leaving the fridge door open. (4 words)

Practice · Reading & Use of English Part 4

Key word transformations 1: Mixed grammar

B2 reported speech: frequently asked questions

What reported speech do you need for B2 First?

You need tense backshift, changes to time words and pronouns, reported questions with statement word order, reported orders and requests, and a good range of reporting verbs with their correct patterns, such as offer to do, advise someone to do, deny doing and apologise for doing.

Do you always change the tense in reported speech?

No. You don't need to change it if the reporting verb is present (She says…) or if the information is still true. However, after a past reporting verb like said, changing the tense is never wrong and is the safest choice in the exam.

What is the difference between say and tell?

Tell needs a person after it: She told me the news. Say doesn't: She said it was late. If you want to mention the person after say, use to: She said to me that…

How do you use suggest correctly?

Use suggest + -ing (He suggested meeting later) or suggest + (that) + clause (He suggested that we meet later). Never use suggest someone to do something.

Which reporting verbs come up in key word transformations?

Common ones include offer, refuse, promise, advise, warn, remind, persuade, deny, admit, suggest, apologise, accuse, blame and insist. Learn each one with its pattern and an example sentence.