Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring

Using verb patterns to represent thoughts and beliefs

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Verb followed by the actual words thought

The verbs in this category can be followed (or preceded) by a quote consisting of the actual words thought:  

So I thought, "Right. Okay. Here we go." (Bank of English)

"Funny," I thought, as I glanced at Darlene, who regards 10 hours of sleep as an inviolable human right. (Bank of English)

Subject-verb inversion is also possible with a noun group , but not generally with a pronoun:

"That man," thought the prince, "is the only one who has seen the world as it really is." (Bank of English)

Here are some verbs which are often used with a quote:

decide  think  reflect wonder resolve

Note that such verbs are likely to be used in the first person singular when the speaker or writer is conveying an actual thought. They can also be used in the third person, but this would be restricted to fiction where an omniscient author is supposed to be able to get inside a character's head.

Introduction
Participants associated with thinking verbs
Grammatical patterns associated with thoughts
Verb followed by a that clause
Verb followed by a noun group
Verb followed by a wh-clause
Verb followed by an if/whether clause
Verb followed by the -ing form
Verb followed by an object and the -ing form
Verb followed by the to-infinitive
Verb followed by an object and the to-infinitive
Verb followed by the actual words thought
Ellipsis and substitution with thinking verbs
Present simple v present continuous tense
A note on the order of participants