Definition and Examples of Reporting Verbs in English

Definition and Examples of Reporting Verbs in English In English grammar, a reporting verb is a  verb (such as say, tell, believe, reply, respond, or ask) used to indicate that discourse is being quoted or paraphrased. Its also called a  communication verb. [T]he number of  reporting verbs  that can be employed to mark  paraphrases  is around a dozen, author Eli Hinkel reported, and  they can be learned with relative ease while working on a writing assignment (e.g.,  the author says, states, indicates, comments, notes, observes, believes, points out, emphasizes, advocates, reports, concludes, underscores, mentions, finds), not to mention phrases with similar textual functions such as  according to the author, as the author states/indicates, in the authors view/opinion/understanding,  or  as noted/stated/mentioned. Tenses and Their Uses Most often, reporting verbs, such as seen in fiction to show dialogue, are in the past tense, because as soon as a speaker says something, it is literally in the past.   George Carlin illustrates this in this example of reported speech: I went to a bookstore and  asked  the saleswoman, Wheres the self-help section? She  said  if she  told  me, it would defeat the purpose. To contrast with  words spoken once, putting a reporting verb in the present tense is used to show an adage, something that someone has said in the past and continues to say or presently believes. For example: She always says how hes not good enough for you. Next, a reporting verb may be in the historical present tense (to refer to an event that took place in the past). The historical present is often used for dramatic effect or immediacy, to place the reader right in the scene. The technique should be used sparingly, so you dont create confusion, but its use can make for a dramatic lead to a story, for example. The year is 1938, the place, Paris. The soldiers smash shop windows and run through the street  and yell...   You also use reporting verbs in  the literary present tense (to refer to any aspect of a work of literature). This is because no matter what year you watch a particular movie or read a book, the events always unfold in the same way. The characters always say the same thing in the same order. For example, if youre writing on Hamlet, you might write, Hamlet shows his anguish when he speaks his To be soliloquy. Or if youre reviewing fantastic movie lines, you might write, Who can forget when Humphrey Bogart says  to Ingrid Bergman, Heres looking at you, kid  in Casablanca?   Dont Overuse Reporting Verbs When youre writing dialogue, if the identity of a speaker is clear from the context, such as in a back-and-forth conversation between two people, the reporting phrase is often omitted; it doesnt have to be used with  each line of dialogue, just enough times to make sure the reader doesnt get lost as far as whos speaking, such as if the conversation is long or if a third party interjects. And if the lines of conversation are short, using a bunch of he said she said gets distracting for the reader. Its more effective to leave them out in this instance. Overusing creative substitutions for, said can also get distracting for the reader. A reader goes by said quickly and doesnt lose the flow of the dialogue. Be judicious in using substitutions for said.   The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in, wrote Elmore Leonard in  The New York Times.  But  said  is far less intrusive than  grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with she asseverated, and had to stop reading to get the dictionary. Sources Teaching Academic ESL Writing. Routledge, 2004Elmore Leonard, Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle.  July 16, 2001