Reporting passives in English B2
Attribute information with it is said that or subject + is said to, especially in news, formal reports and cautious summaries.
Transform active reports into two passive patterns.
Choose a simple or perfect infinitive from the time relationship.
Attribute information without presenting an unverified claim as fact.
Two structures for one report
It is reported that keeps the complete proposition after that. The company is reported to… promotes the subject of the proposition and makes it the grammatical topic.
The promoted-subject pattern is compact and common in headlines, profiles and formal summaries; the impersonal pattern is useful when the whole claim deserves equal attention.
Simple or perfect infinitive
Use a simple infinitive when the reported situation is simultaneous with, or later than, the report: He is thought to live abroad. Use a perfect infinitive when the reported event happened earlier: He is thought to have left.
Passive meaning inside the infinitive may require to have been + past participle, as in The manuscript is thought to have been written in 1150.
| Time relationship | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| simultaneous/later | to + base form | He is thought to live abroad. |
| earlier | to have + participle | He is thought to have left. |
Reporting verbs change the stance
Said, believed, thought, reported, understood, expected and alleged do not carry identical meanings. Alleged marks a disputed claim; expected points towards a prediction; understood suggests shared or indirect knowledge.
Choose the participle that accurately represents both the source and the writer’s commitment.
Accuracy and source responsibility
A reporting passive marks attribution; it does not prove that the claim is true. Reliable writing names the source whenever the reader needs to assess authority: According to the inspection report…
Use the passive for information structure, not as a substitute for evidence.