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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B2

Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns ESL Lesson Plan (B2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B2 lesson on Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns, built round the theme "Drama at the Team Meeting".

  • CEFR B2
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Reported Speech
  • Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns

About this lesson

Who it is for. Upper-intermediate students who report statements, questions and commands accurately with say, tell and ask, but their reports are repetitive. When they try other verbs, they make pattern errors: He suggested me to go, She denied to take it, He apologised to be late.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level
CEFR B2 (Upper-intermediate)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run "Freer practice" once through without the second round and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking and writing
Language focus
Grammar: Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns (advise, refuse, deny, suggest)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Handout 1 (transcript of a team meeting), Handout 2 (reference table and practice), Handout 3 (further practice), Handout 4 (role cards for a club meeting).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Aims

Main aim. To develop students' use of a range of reporting verbs and their patterns: verb + infinitive, verb + object + infinitive, verb + -ing, verb + preposition + -ing, and verb + that-clause.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can summarise a meeting using at least eight different reporting verbs, e.g. The coach refused to change the team. Malik apologised for missing training. Ayesha suggested holding extra practice.

  • Subsidiary aim. To develop fluency in summarising a conversation.
  • Subsidiary aim. To raise awareness that reporting verbs show the speaker's purpose and attitude.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Patterns

PatternVerbsExample
verb + to + infinitiveagree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten, decideShe refused to change the team.
verb + object + to + infinitiveadvise, ask, encourage, invite, persuade, remind, tell, warnHe advised me to rest. He warned us not to be late.
verb + -ingadmit, deny, recommend, suggestHe denied taking the ball. She suggested practising more.
verb + preposition + -ingapologise for, insist on, accuse sb of, blame sb for, congratulate sb onHe apologised for missing training.
verb + that-clauseadmit, agree, complain, explain, promise, suggest (that sb should)She suggested (that) we should train on Sundays.

Meaning and use

  • Reporting verbs summarise the function of what was said (a promise, a refusal, an apology), not the exact words.
  • "Sorry I'm late." → He apologised for being late. "I didn't take it!" → He denied taking it.

Pronunciation

  • Stress the reporting verb, which carries the meaning: She reFUSED to change it. He deNIED taking it.

Concept-checking questions

  • Malik denied taking the ball. Did Malik say he took the ball? (No, he said he didn't.) · Do we know if he took it? (No.)
  • The coach advised Ruwan to rest. Was it an order or advice? (Advice.) · Who will rest? (Ruwan.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
suggest + object + infinitive (He suggested me to go).Board: suggest + -ing / suggest (that) + clause; cross out suggested me to.
deny / admit + infinitive (She denied to take).Group verbs by pattern; card sort.
Preposition + infinitive (apologised for to be late).Rule: after a preposition → -ing.
not in the wrong place (warned us to not be late).Board: warned us not to be late.
Too many verbs to remember.Learn by pattern groups; students choose 10 to learn.

Board plan

Left: functionsCentre: patternsRight: pronunciation
promise · refuse · offer · advise · warn · remind · admit · deny · suggest · apologise · insist · accuse
+ to inf: agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten · + obj + to inf: advise, persuade, remind, warn · + -ing: admit, deny, suggest, recommend · + prep + -ing: apologise for, insist on, accuse sb of · + that: suggest (that) we should ... · not: suggested me to ✗
She reFUSED to ... · He deNIED ...ing · She sugGESTed ...ing

CEFR B2 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To introduce the context and engage students.

Ask: "Have you ever been in a team or club meeting where people argued? What did people say?"

Pairs discuss (2 minutes). Take one or two stories.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present reporting verbs in context and clarify their patterns and meanings.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the transcript of the cricket team meeting. What was the problem? How did it end?" (3 minutes.)

Pairs compare. Then students read the coach's summary email and answer the three questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Noticing (5 minutes)

Say: "Match each line in the transcript to a sentence in the email. Underline the reporting verb and the word after it." Pairs compare.

Part C: Clarification (9 minutes)

Give out Handout 2 (reference table). Elicit the five pattern groups and build them in the centre of the board.

Ask the CCQs from the Language analysis.

Focus on the most common errors: suggest, deny / admit, preposition + -ing, the position of not.

Point out that the verb summarises the speaker's purpose: "Sorry I'm late" = an apology → apologise for.

Pronunciation. Drill with stress on the reporting verb: She reFUSED to change the team. He deNIED taking it.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the patterns accurately.

Say: "Do Exercise A on Handout 2: report each sentence using the verb given. Then Exercise B: correct the mistakes." (7 minutes.)

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Fast finishers do Handout 3 (further practice); otherwise set it for homework.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then new groups, then whole class

Aim: To use a range of reporting verbs fluently in summarising a meeting.

Give out Handout 4. Groups of four role-play a meeting of the school drama club about a problem with the end-of-year show. Each student has a role card with things they must say (an apology, a promise, a refusal, a suggestion, a warning, an accusation) (7 minutes).

ICQs: "Do you read your card aloud?" (No, use your own words.) "What must you include?" (The things on your card.)

Report (8 minutes). Students form new groups and summarise their meeting using at least eight reporting verbs: "Nethmi apologised for losing the script. Kamal refused to play the king. I suggested postponing the show."

The class votes for the most dramatic meeting (3 minutes).

Monitor and note language use.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board sentences from Stage 4 (correct and incorrect). Students correct the errors.

Ask: "Which pattern does suggest take? Which does deny take?"

Set the homework.

Homework Complete Handout 3. Then write the minutes (summary) of a real or imaginary meeting or family discussion (180 words) using at least ten different reporting verbs.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the reference table during the freer practice. Limit them to eight verbs (two from each of four patterns).
Stretch
Stronger students use accuse sb of, blame sb for, congratulate sb on and insist that sb (should). They use passive and perfect forms: He denied having been told. She admitted having made a mistake.

Adapting the lesson

ForWhat to change
A large class (40 or more)Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Report" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopierPut the exercises from Handout 2: Reference Table and Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 4: Club Meeting Role Cards works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online classSend Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Report" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age groupWith teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

6 out of 8 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. The summary uses at least eight different reporting verbs with the correct pattern. No suggest + object + infinitive errors in the final summaries.

Teacher's reflection

Which patterns caused the most errors? Did students choose verbs that matched the speaker's purpose?

Handout 1: The Team Meeting

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Transcript: Under-17 cricket team meeting

Coach: We lost three matches in a row. Things have to change. Malik: Sorry I missed training last week. My grandmother was ill. Coach: Ruwan, you look exhausted. You should rest this weekend. Ayesha: Why don't we practise on Sunday mornings too? Coach: OK, I'll book the ground for Sundays. But I'm not changing the team. Dinesh: Someone took my new bat from the changing room. Malik: It wasn't me! I didn't take it! Coach: If anyone is late on Sunday, they won't play on Saturday. Kasun: OK, I'll bring the drinks on Sunday.

The coach's summary email

Dear parents, At today's meeting, I explained that we had lost three matches in a row. Malik apologised for missing training. I advised Ruwan to rest this weekend. Ayesha suggested practising on Sunday mornings, so I promised to book the ground. However, I refused to change the team. Dinesh complained that someone had taken his bat; Malik denied taking it. I warned the players not to be late on Sunday, and Kasun offered to bring the drinks.

Answer the questions.

  • Why did Malik apologise? ______________________________
  • What did Ayesha suggest? ______________________________
  • What did the coach refuse to do? ______________________________

Handout 2: Reference Table and Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Reference

A. Report each sentence using the verb given.

B. Correct the mistakes.

  • "I'll help you with your homework." (offer) → My brother ______________________________
  • "I won't lend you my car." (refuse) → My father ______________________________
  • "Yes, I broke the window." (admit) → Kamal ______________________________
  • "Don't swim here. It's dangerous." (warn) → The lifeguard ______________________________
  • "Let's go to the cinema." (suggest) → Nimmi ______________________________
  • "Sorry I forgot your birthday." (apologise) → Ruwan ______________________________
  • "Remember to buy milk." (remind) → My mother ______________________________
  • "I didn't cheat in the exam!" (deny) → Arun ______________________________
  • He suggested me to see a doctor. ______________________________
  • She denied to take the money. ______________________________
  • They apologised for to be late. ______________________________
  • He warned us to not touch the wires. ______________________________
+ to infinitive+ object + to infinitive+ -ing+ preposition + -ing+ that-clause
agree, offer, promise, refuse, threaten
advise, encourage, invite, persuade, remind, warn
admit, deny, recommend, suggest
apologise for, insist on, accuse sb of, blame sb for
complain, explain, suggest (that we should)

Handout 3: Further Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Choose the best reporting verb from the box and report each sentence.

accused · agreed · encouraged · insisted · invited · persuaded · promised · threatened

  • "Would you like to come to my party?" → Sanduni ______________________________
  • "You stole my phone!" → Dilan ______________________________
  • "I'll call you every day." → Kasun ______________________________
  • "Go on, enter the competition. You'll do well!" → My teacher ______________________________
  • "OK, you can use my laptop." → My sister ______________________________
  • "If you don't pay, I'll call the police." → The shopkeeper ______________________________
  • "I'm paying for dinner. I don't want to discuss it." → My uncle ______________________________
  • "Please come with us." "Well ... OK." → My friends ______________________________ (me / come)

Handout 4: Club Meeting Role Cards

Situation: The school drama club's end-of-year show is in one week, but there are problems. Hold a meeting.

Student A: Club president

You must: explain the problems; refuse to cancel the show; warn everyone not to miss rehearsals.

Student B: Nethmi, lead actor

You must: apologise for losing the script; promise to learn your lines by Friday; suggest postponing the show for a week.

Student C: Kamal, actor

You must: refuse to play the king (you want a bigger role); accuse someone of taking your costume; admit arriving late yesterday.

Student D: Hasini, stage manager

You must: offer to print new scripts; remind everyone to bring their costumes; persuade Kamal to play the king.

Summary: write at least eight sentences with reporting verbs.

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Handout 3

Common errors to watch for

  • Because he missed training. · 2. Practising on Sunday mornings. · 3. Change the team.
  • offered to help me with my homework. · 2. refused to lend me his car. · 3. admitted breaking the window. / admitted (that) he had broken the window. · 4. warned us not to swim there. · 5. suggested going to the cinema. / suggested (that) we (should) go to the cinema. · 6. apologised for forgetting my birthday. · 7. reminded me to buy milk. · 8. denied cheating in the exam.
  • He suggested seeing a doctor. / He suggested (that) I (should) see a doctor. · 2. She denied taking the money. · 3. They apologised for being late. · 4. He warned us not to touch the wires.
  • invited me to her party. · 2. accused me of stealing his phone. · 3. promised to call me every day. · 4. encouraged me to enter the competition. · 5. agreed to let me use her laptop. · 6. threatened to call the police. · 7. insisted on paying for dinner. · 8. persuaded me to come with them.
ErrorCorrection
He suggested me to go.He suggested going. / He suggested (that) I (should) go.
She denied to take it.She denied taking it.
He apologised for be late.He apologised for being late.
She advised to me to rest.She advised me to rest.

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About this lesson plan

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

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