← Back to C1 General contentsWorkbook · 2B. Reading between the lines
Home practice · reporting verbs & subtext · answer key included
1 · Communication — choose the best expression
She never criticised him openly — she only ______ that he was late for everything.
The politician started to ______ as soon as he saw how badly his comment had landed.
Journalists trained to interview politicians learn to ______ at the truth beneath the answers.
He kept ______ over the numbers, hoping no one would notice the loss.
We must have been ______ — she thought I was quitting, and I thought she was firing me.
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2 · Complete with the correct reporting verb + form
- The teacher drop _ speaking during the exam.
- He drop _ ever taking my keys.
- She drop _ being late by more than an hour.
- My mother drop _ lying about the phone bill.
- The nurse drop _ resting for at least three days.
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3 · Rewrite in reported speech
Choose a natural reporting verb — do NOT use the neutral said (that).
"I didn't take your book," she said.
"You should really see a doctor," he said to me.
"I'm so sorry I forgot," she said.
"If you touch that again, I'll call your mother," he said.
"Let's meet on Friday instead," she said.
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4 · Reporting-verb patterns
- to insist on (something)drop or tap here…
- to accuse (someone) ofdrop or tap here…
- to congratulate (someone) ondrop or tap here…
- to remind (someone) todrop or tap here…
- to threaten todrop or tap here…
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5 · A voice message
Listen to a friend leaving a voice message about a lunch that did not go well.
📄 Show transcript
Speaker: Hey, it's me. Ugh, I just had the weirdest lunch with Sarah. I mean, it wasn’t *bad* bad, but… it was just so *off*. She kept making these really oblique comments, you know, hinting at things but never actually saying them outright. Like, she was talking about how people grow and change, and sometimes friendships just… naturally drift apart. It was all very philosophical, which isn't like her. I tried to pin her down, you know, ask her directly what she was getting at, but she just smiled and changed the subject. It felt like she was trying to tell me she wants to end our friendship, or at least take a really long break, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. It’s left me feeling really unsettled, honestly. I think I’m just going to send her a message later tonight. Something straightforward, like, "Hey, can you just tell me what's going on? Because what you said today left me a bit confused." Yeah, I think that’s the best approach. I just need some clarity.
- What is the speaker's overall feeling about the lunch?
- What did her friend seem to be hinting at?
- What does the speaker plan to do next?
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6 · Reply to the message (120–150 words)
Imagine you are the friend receiving that voice message. Reply in a message that is clear but kind, using at least three different reporting verbs and one expression from the vocabulary bank.
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