Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring (Using verb patterns to represent thoughts and beliefs) (p. 3)

Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring

Using verb patterns to represent thoughts and beliefs

page 3 of 15

Grammatical patterns associated with thoughts

To see a relevant teacher's question about the grammatical patterns associated with thoughts, click on this icon . Verbs associated with thoughts and beliefs may be followed by a range of different structures. The most common (and therefore most useful structures to teach first) are:

1.	a that clause, which, depending on the context and the verb used, may represent an idea, an opinion or a fact:
	The defendant believed that he was in love* with the woman he killed. (SCMP 26/3/94)*
2.	a noun group , representing the thing which is believed, known, understood, remembered, etc:
	I anticipate the future, by reading the past. (Bank of English)
3.	a wh-clause, representing some kind of question or issue which is doubted, wondered about, considered, understood, etc:
	This factor should be taken into account when assessing what you should do … (Bank of English)
Other less common structures include the following:
4.	an if/whether clause, typically related to a yes/no question:
	Mr Chau had to clarify whether they should inform the Commissioner of Police* before the meeting. (SCMP 16/9/92)*
5.	the -ing form, typically when contemplating the past or anticipating the future:
	The Consumer Council is considering conducting* a study on the property sector. (SCMP 23/3/94)*
6.	an object and the -ing form, typically when contemplating the past:
	One of the barmen remembers the gentleman and recalls him settling* his bill. (SCMP 20/5/94)*
7.	the to-infinitive:
	There is no significant moral difference between someone who chooses to cause really serious injury and someone who sets out to kill. (Microconcord Corpus B)
8.	an object and the to-infinitive:
	They hold themselves to be* under an obligation to obey the law. (Microconcord Corpus B)*
9.	the actual words thought:
	So I thought, "Right. Okay. Here we go." (Bank of English)
The rest of this file contains further information about the verbs which are associated with each of these grammatical structures. Passive voice with thinking verbs Passive clauses without agents are often used with verbs representing various kinds of thinking (such as think, believe, understand and know) in order to report facts, beliefs or opinions. The use of passive voice allows the writer to avoid revealing a source or taking personal responsibility for the facts and opinions reported. For further information, see Using passive voice: Passive voice with thinking and saying verbs (p 2).

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