Reporting passives say what people in general think, say or believe, without saying who. They report what an unnamed group says or believes.
Use a reporting passive when you want to report what people say or believe, without naming them. It keeps a distance from the claim.
The verbs that go in this pattern include allege, believe, claim, consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think and understand.
| Pattern 1 | Pattern 2 |
|---|---|
| It is estimated that thousands of people use the bridge every day. | Thousands of people are estimated to use the bridge every day. |
| It is said that the old house is haunted. | The old house is said to be haunted. |
| It is believed that he left the country. | He is believed to have left the country. |
Both patterns report the same claim. Pattern 2 starts with the person or thing the claim is about.
Choose the infinitive form to show the time of the action, relative to the time of the reporting.
| Infinitive | Time relative to the reporting | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to + base verb | at the time of the reporting, or later | She is said to live in Paris. |
| to have + past participle | before the reporting | She is said to have lived in Paris. |
| to be + -ing | in progress at the time of the reporting | She is said to be living in Paris. |
Use it to keep a distance from the claim. If you want to take responsibility, use an active form with a source: The police say that...
✗It is said that he to be a doctor.
✓It is said that he is a doctor.
After It is said, use a that-clause with a full verb. (Or: He is said to be a doctor.)
✗He is said have left.
✓He is said to have left.
The pattern needs to before the infinitive.
✗He is believed that he left.
✓It is believed that he left.
The that-clause pattern starts with it.
✗She is said to has lived there.
✓She is said to have lived there.
After to, use the base verb or have + past participle.
See The passive: be + past participle, The passive in many tenses and with modal verbs, Advanced passives: get-passive, be supposed to and more and Reporting verbs and the patterns after them.
Eight questions. Choose one answer for each.