AULAFYCurso abierto de inglés C1
HomeCourseScience & DiscoveryGrammar Focus
Science & DiscoveryL02
grammar

Grammar Focus

Detailed explanation, examples and controlled practice for the unit grammar point.

60 minC1c1grammarscience-discoveryreporting verbsc1 grammarreported speechgerunds

Lesson objectives

  • Recognise and control Reported speech (advanced: reporting verbs with patterns).
  • Notice common errors Spanish-speaking learners make at advanced level.
  • Apply the structure in exam-style sentences related to science & discovery.

Explicación (en español)

En el nivel C1 Advanced, ya conoces el reported speech básico (cambio de tiempos verbales como said that...). Sin embargo, para sonar como un hablante experto, debemos dominar los Reporting Verbs que siguen patrones gramaticales específicos. En lugar de usar siempre "say" o "tell", utilizamos verbos como suggest, insist, deny, recommend, admit o warn para añadir matices de intención, autoridad o duda. Estos verbos no siempre siguen la estructura "that + clause"; algunos requieren infinitivos, otros gerundios y otros objetos directos.

El mayor reto para los hispanohablantes es la traducción directa de estructuras del español. Por ejemplo, en español decimos "Él sugirió que fuéramos" (subjuntivo), pero en inglés, el verbo suggest nunca puede ir seguido de un infinitivo (He suggested to go es incorrecto). En su lugar, usamos el patrón suggest + -ing o suggest + that + subject + (should) + verb. Este es un error extremadamente común en exámenes de Cambridge.

Otro punto crucial es el uso de verbos que requieren un objeto directo antes de la acción, como remind, warn o advise (ej. He reminded me to check...). Por el contrario, verbos como deny o admit suelen ir seguidos directamente de un gerundio (He denied stealing...). Comprender estos patrones es la diferencia entre un nivel B2 y un C1 sólido, ya que permite reportar hallazgos científicos, debates académicos y descubrimientos con precisión quirúrgica.

Form — estructura

Verb Type Pattern Example Structure
Verb + Object + to-infinitive Verb + person + to + verb He advised us to conduct more tests.
Verb + -ing (Gerund) Verb + -ing She admitted breaking the lab equipment.
Verb + that-clause Verb + (that) + subject + verb They claimed that the theory was flawed.
Verb + Object + that-clause Verb + person + that + subject + verb The professor reminded us that the data was sensitive.
Verb + Object + question word Verb + person + wh-word + to-infinitive She showed us how to calibrate the sensor.

Examples

  1. The researcher suggested conducting a double-blind study. (El investigador sugirió realizar un estudio de doble ciego.)
  2. The scientist denied having manipulated the experimental results. (El científico negó haber manipulado los resultados experimentales.)
  3. The mentor advised the students to document every observation. (El mentor aconsejó a los estudiantes documentar cada observación.)
  4. The lead investigator insisted on re-evaluating the hypothesis. (El investigador principal insistió en reevaluar la hipótesis.)
  5. The manual explains how to operate the new microscope. (El manual explica cómo operar el nuevo microscopio.)
  6. They accused the lab of falsifying the data. (Acusaron al laboratorio de falsificar los datos.)
  7. The professor reminded us to submit our findings by Friday. (El profesor nos recordó que entregáramos nuestros hallazgos el viernes.)
  8. The team admitted making a mistake in the initial calculations. (El equipo admitió haber cometido un error en los cálculos iniciales.)

Contrast

  1. ✗ He suggested me to take another sample. / ✓ He suggested (that) I take another sample. (Error: 'Suggest' no puede ir seguido de objeto + infinitivo).

  2. ✗ The expert denied to steal the formula. / ✓ The expert denied stealing the formula. (Error: 'Deny' requiere un gerundio, no un infinitivo).

  3. ✗ She told that the discovery was groundbreaking. / ✓ She said that the discovery was groundbreaking. (Error: 'Tell' necesita un objeto directo como 'me', 'us', etc. Si no hay objeto, usamos 'say').

  4. ✗ They promised to discovering a cure. / ✓ They promised to discover a cure. (Error: Después de 'promise' se usa el infinitivo sin '-ing').

Mini-quiz — 10 preguntas

Part 1: Sentence Transformation (Rewrite the sentence using the word in bold)

  1. "You should check the calibration again," the technician said to me. (reminded) The technician ________ the calibration again.

  2. "I didn't steal the research papers!" the intern said. (denied) The intern ________ the research papers.

  3. "Let's use a more advanced algorithm," the programmer suggested. (using) The programmer suggested ________ a more advanced algorithm.

Part 2: Multiple Choice

  1. The professor __ us to focus on the qualitative data. a) suggested b) advised c) denied

  2. The whistleblower __ that the company was hiding the environmental impact. a) claimed b) admitted to c) reminded

  3. He __ me where to find the chemical reagents. a) told b) showed c) suggested

  4. The committee __ the importance of ethical standards in AI. a) emphasized b) insisted c) suggested

Part 3: Fill in the blanks (Use the correct form of the verb in brackets)

  1. The doctor recommended __ (undergo) further genetic testing.

  2. My supervisor warned me __ (not / forget) to label the vials.

  3. The astronaut admitted __ (make) a mistake during the landing sequence.

Respuestas: 1. reminded me to check 2. denied stealing / denied having stolen 3. using 4. b) advised 5. a) claimed 6. b) showed 7. a) emphasized 8. undergoing 9. not to forget 10. making / having made