Pass on someone's advice

After B1 #15 you can report any words with said, told and asked. But in a real report the words matter less than the intention: the person was giving advice, refusing, promising, offering. English passes on the intention with one verb. He said, "I'll help you" → He offered to help me. The report becomes shorter, and it is clear at once why the person said it.

The form: three patterns. These verbs fall into three groups by what comes after them. Learn the group together with the verb.

Verb + person + to + verb. The speaker wants another person to act, so that person has to be named. The negative is not to.

ask and tell from B1 #15 belong here too: asked me to wait, told us not to be late.

Verb + to + verb, with no person. The speaker takes on the job or refuses it personally, so there is no need to name another person.

Verb + -ing, or preposition + -ing. suggest gives an idea for everyone at once, and nobody is named to do it — hence -ing. After a preposition (for, on) the verb is always in the -ing form.

suggest has a second pattern — with a whole clause: She suggested that we should go by train. It is useful when you need to name who the idea is for.

What gets simpler. After verbs of intention you don't need the tense shift from B1 #15. The to + verb form and the -ing form have no tense of their own: the verb of intention carries the tense. Compare: He said he would call me — a report of the words, with would; He promised to call me — a report of the intention, and would is no longer needed. The report becomes not only shorter but simpler too.

Some of these verbs also take a whole clause with that: She promised that she would call, He agreed that the plan was good. But for an intention the short form sounds more natural. When you tell someone about a conversation, verbs of intention are usually mixed with said and told. If every line is reported with said, the story sounds flat, and if every line is reported with a verb of intention, it sounds like the minutes of a meeting.

Which verb when. The clue is in the speaker's own words:

Direct advice: You'd better… Before you report advice, you need to hear it and be able to give it yourself. Besides should (A2 #11) and If I were you (B1 #8), English has advice with a warning: had better + a verb without to. It means "do this, or something bad will happen". had here is not the past tense: the form is fixed and speaks about the present or the near future. In speech it is almost always shortened: 'd better.

The negative is not after better: You'd better not. 'd here is had, not would, although it is written the same way.

should or had better? You should see a doctor is calm advice: "it would be a good idea". You'd better see a doctor is stronger and about a particular case: if you don't do it, there will be consequences. That is why had better is not used about general truths: People should sleep eight hours, not had better. To a boss or a stranger You'd better… can sound like a threat; about yourself — I'd better go — people say it all the time and to everyone.

Reporting it. Direct advice is reported with a verb of intention: "You'd better see a doctor" → She advised me to see a doctor; "You'd better not swim here" → He warned us not to swim there. had better does not shift in a report, and a version with said is possible too: She said I'd better see a doctor.

Compare offer and suggest — in French (proposer), Polish (zaproponować) and some other languages one verb covers both:

offer — offer yourself, your help or a thing; suggest — put forward an idea.

More examples:

Don't say this. ✗ He insisted to pay → ✓ He insisted on paying. insist is always followed by on and the -ing form. ✗ You'd better to go → ✓ You'd better go. After had better, as after a modal verb, there is no to.

Check yourself. Which verb do you use to report "Let's take a taxi"? What is wrong in He advised to rest? How do you tell a friend, with a warning, not to be late, and how do you report it?