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Verbs for Referring to Sources

Many verbs that refer to what someone else has written are immediately followed by noun clauses (clauses beginning with that). Some of the most common of these verbs are:

admit agree argue assume believe claim
conclude consider decide deny determine discover
doubt explain hypothesize imply indicate infer
maintain prove presume reveal show state

However, not all reporting verbs are followed by noun clauses. Some verbs require different grammatical structures:


1. Verb + (somebody/something) + for + Noun/Gerund

blame censure commend condemn criticize decry

2. Verb + something/somebody + as + Noun/Gerund

appraise assess characterize class classify define depict
describe evaluate interpret portray present view

 

Written by Martine Johnson.
Copyright 2001. All rights reserved.

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Last modified September 7, 2001
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