Reporting Verbs for Kids Guide and Test
Reporting verbs such as say, tell, ask, promise, and warn show how someone communicates. Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families covers sentence patterns, age-appropriate examples, and a ten-question check. Children meet these verbs in stories, conversations, school tasks, and reported speech. A younger learner may say, “She said hello,” while an older learner may write, “He warned us not to touch the wire.” Children need to choose a verb that shows the speaker’s purpose.
📥 Reporting Verbs Practice Pack
A kid-friendly guide, test, and weekly home routine
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What Reporting Verbs Tell US
Start with these core words and short examples before adding more specific vocabulary.
I run in the playground.
Can you jump high?
We read a short story.
Write your name here.
They play after school.
Draw a small house.
I eat breakfast at seven.
Drink water after sport.
Say reports words or information: “The coach said that practice was over.” Precise verbs add meaning. Promise shows commitment, warn signals danger, suggest offers an idea, and admit accepts a fact. Each choice reveals the message and the speaker’s intention.
Use Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families as a shared reference. Read each example aloud and ask, “Was the person giving information, asking for something, or influencing someone?” Meaning-first practice helps multilingual children connect each purpose with forms from other languages.
Four Useful Sentence Patterns
Reporting verbs follow different patterns. A child may understand a verb yet build the sentence incorrectly. The table groups common verbs by the words that follow them.
Two contrasts need attention. We say something, but we tell someone somethingAcross LearnLink lessons, our tutors help children build confident, everyday English step by step. Say “suggest playing” or “suggest that we play,” not “suggest to play.” Learn each verb with its pattern.
How Reported Speech Changes the Message
Reporting verbs often introduce reported speech. Direct speech gives the original words: “I am cold,” the child said. Reported speech places them inside a new sentence: “The child said that they were cold.” Pronouns, time words, and verb forms may change with the viewpoint and time.
First check whether a change is needed. A fact that remains true may keep the present form: “The tutor explained that water freezes at 0°C.” An earlier personal message often takes a past form: “She said that she wanted a drink.” Writers may omit that, but keeping it can reveal the sentence structure.
When you return to Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families, compare the original and reported messages. Ask who spoke, who listened, when they spoke, and whether the message remains true. These four checks prevent random tense changes.
Examples for Different Ages
For school-age kids, begin with say, tell, and ask in short spoken sentences. Use toys, pictures, or family routines: “The bear said hello.” “Tell the doll to sit down.” “The rabbit asked for water.” At this stage, meaning matters more than formal tense rules.
For school-age kids, add verbs that show purpose: promise, warn, remind, invite, and suggest. Sort sentences into information, request, advice, and warning. Compare “The sign said that the floor was wet” with “The sign warned us that the floor was wet.”
For school-age kids, include admit, deny, refuse, recommend, and agree. Older learners can explain which verb fits and practise patterns found in stories, summaries, and formal tasks. LearnLink helps your child build confident, everyday English that supports them at every stage.
A Simple Home Practice Routine
Start with a two-minute message chain. One person says, “Please close the window before dinner.” Your child reports: “They asked me to close the window before dinner.” Change the purpose each round with a promise, warning, invitation, or suggestion.
Next, choose three lines from a familiar story or family-safe video. Cover the dialogue and ask your child to report what happened. Accept the first accurate sentence, then improve the verb: “The character said not to go” becomes “The character warned them not to go.” This separates communication from correction.
Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families supports a short weekly review. Revisit five verbs, build one sentence with each, and save difficult verbs for the next session. Ten focused minutes beat a long worksheet without discussion.
A Ten-question Reporting Verbs Test
Ask your child to complete the first five items without the table. The second block tests direct-to-reported speech. More than one answer may work when its grammar and meaning fit.
Part 1: Choose the Reporting Verb
Choose from admitted, promised, suggested, warned, reminded.
1. “Do not step on the wet floor.” The caretaker ______ us not to step on it.
2. “I will feed the cat.” The child ______ to feed the cat.
3. “Let’s make a card.” They ______ making a card.
4. “Remember that your library book is due.” A parent ______ the child that the book was due.
5. “Yes, I broke the pencil.” The learner ______ breaking the pencil.
Part 2: Report the Message
Rewrite each message with the verb in brackets.
6. “Please wait here.” (ask)
7. “The lesson starts at nine.” (explain)
8. “Would you like to join our game?” (invite)
9. “I did not copy the answer.” (deny)
10. “You should take a water bottle.” (advise)
Answer key: 1. warned; 2. promised; 3. suggested; 4. reminded; 5. admitted. Sample answers: 6. They asked us to wait there. 7. The tutor explained that the lesson started at nine. 8. They invited us to join their game. 9. The learner denied copying the answer. 10. A parent advised the child to take a water bottle.
How to Read the Result
The test in Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families measures two skills: matching a verb to the speaker’s purpose and applying the correct pattern. Give one point per correct answer. Accept pronoun or time-word choices that fit the imagined context.
A score of 8–10 shows command of the tested patterns. A score of 5–7 calls for table review and practice with missed patterns. With 0–4, return to say, tell, and ask, then introduce one new verb at a time. This practice score is not a CEFR level or diagnosis.
For the rule wording, Wikipedia — English Grammar is a useful reference while the practice examples here stay adapted for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference Between “Say” and “Tell”?
Say focuses on words or a message; tell names the listener. We say, “The child said that the game was fun,” but “The child told us that the game was fun.” Do not use “told that” without a person in this pattern. Practise the pair together: say something; tell someone something.
How Many Reporting Verbs Should a Child Learn at Once?
Start with five: say, tell, ask, promise, and warn. Add verbs after your child can choose the earlier ones by meaning and apply their patterns. Reporting Verbs for Kids: An Explanation and Test — A Practical Guide for Families covers a wider set, but one session need not cover every verb.
Does My Child Need to Change Every Verb into the Past?
No. The form depends on time, viewpoint, and whether the information remains true. “The guide says that the museum opens at ten” may remain present while the schedule is current. “The guide said that the museum opened at ten” reports an earlier statement from a past viewpoint. Check the context before changing tense.
Can Multilingual Children Use Their Other Languages to Learn This Grammar?
Yes. Ask how another language reports a warning, promise, or request. Its grammar may differ, but comparing the speaker’s purpose can make the English verb easier to understand. Keep the practice sentence in English and check the reporting verb’s pattern. The goal is comparison, not word-for-word translation.
Is This Test Enough to Identify My Child’s English Level?
No. This test covers one grammar and vocabulary area. A sound level assessment examines listening, speaking, reading, writing, range, accuracy, and independent communication. Use the score to select the next reporting-verb activity, not assign a CEFR level. Families seeking a learning plan or exam benchmark need a broader assessment.
A short one-to-one lesson can show what level and pace fit your child — book a trial English lesson.
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