7.26 Reporting statements and thoughts

If you want to report a statement or someone's thoughts, you use a reported clause beginning with the conjunction 'that'.

• He said that the police had directed him to the wrong room.
• He wrote me a letter saying that he understood what I was doing.
• Mrs Kaul announced that the lecture would now begin.

In informal speech and writing, the conjunction 'that' is commonly omitted.

• They said I had to see a doctor first.
• She says she wants to see you this afternoon.
• He knew the attempt was hopeless.
• I think there's something wrong.

In each of these sentences, 'that' could have been used. For example, you can say either 'They said I had to see a doctor first' or 'They said that I had to see a doctor first'.

'That' is often omitted when the reporting verb refers simply to the act of saying or thinking. You usually include 'that' after a verb which gives more information, such as 'complain' or 'explain'.

• His brother complained that the office was not businesslike.
• I explained that she would have to stay in bed.

This kind of reported clause is often called a 'that'-clause, even though many occur without 'that'.

Note that some relative clauses also begin with 'that'. In these clauses, 'that' is a relative pronoun, not a conjunction. Relative clauses are explained in paragraphs 8.83 to 8.116.