PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS

Use: Passive reporting structures are used to talk about events when the speaker is unknown or unimportant,
or when someone wishes to remain anonymous, or distancing themselves from what is said. Ideas can be
reported in the present or in the past.

Typical reporting verbs: say, think, believe, report, consider, know, estimate, expect, claim, suggest,
understand

There are two (2) forms:

1. Sentence begins with a subject:

Form: Subject + be + past participle of reporting verb (be + p.p.) + infinitive (to + base form of
verb).

John is known to be quite a character.

The lake near the chemical plant is believed to be polluted.

2. Sentence begins with It:

Form: It + be + past participle of reporting verb + that + clause ( subj and verb)

 Present: when we report ideas in the present we use be in the present simple

It + is + past participle of reporting verb + that + clause

It is said that….. It is believed that…. It is thought that….

 Past: when we report ideas in the past we use be in the past simple

It + was + past participle of reporting verb + that + clause

It was said that…. It was believed that… It was thought…

For sentences that begin with IT

When idea That clause Examples
reported

Present Present report of present event
Present report of past event
Present report of future event
Present simple It is said that people are less happy
nowadays than they were 50 years ago.
Past simple It is believed that they lived unknown to
the outside world for over 200 years
Will + base It is understood that reporters will leave
form of verb the area immediately.

Past Past report of event at the same time
in the past
Past report of event that happened
before the report
Past report of future event
Past simple It was claimed that the break-in
happened that morning.
Past perfect It was believed that the break-in had
happened late at night.
Would + base It was understood that the survivors
form of verb would go straight to hospital when they
returned.
1. It ______________________________ (think) that the criminal _____________ (be) a local man.
(present report, present event)
2. It __________________________ (claim) that the minister _____________________ (involved).
(past event, event that happened before the report).
3. It ___________________________ (know) that eating fruit _____________________ (be) good for you.
(present report, present event)
4. It ______________________________ (think) that one in three bathing beaches __________ (be) unfit for
swimming. (present report, present event)
5. It ____________________________ (estimate) that about 10 million dolphins _____________________
(kill) in the past 15 years. (present report, past event before the report)
6. It ________________________________ (expect) that the president _______________________ (give) his
speech at 10 am tomorrow morning. (present report, future event)
7. It ____________________________ (believe) that the world _____________________________ (be) flat.
(past report, past event).
8. It _________________________________ (think) that man ________________________ (colonize) Mars
by 2050. (past report, future event)
9. It _________________________ (anticipate) that 20,000 ________________________ (attend) the
festival. (present report, future event)

Subject + passive reporting verb + infinitive (to + base) (passive = be + p.p.)

1. The president _________________________ (know, fall asleep) during his meetings. (present)
2. The fire __________________________ (think, have started) in the basement. (past)
3. These birds _________________________ (consider, be) very rare in North America. (present)

Rewrite the sentences using the passive reporting form:

1. They say the new seafood restaurant in Progresso is very good.

It ___________________________________________________________
The new seafood restaurant ______________________________________
2. People say that he was the worst U.S. president.
It ___________________________________________________________
He __________________________________________________________
3. Everyone thought that the government had shown no regard for public opinion.
It ______________________________________________________________
The government __________________________________________________
4. Everybody hopes that the pandemic will end soon.
It _______________________________________________________________
5. The newspapers reported that three men were arrested after the explosion.
It ___________________________________________________________
Three men ____________________________________________________
6. It is reported that two people were seriously injured in the accident.
Two people ____________________________________________________