INTRODUCTION

In this section we will be dealing with impersonal passive constructions with verbs of saying or
believing. These constructions are then a mixture of passive constructions and reported speech.

I have taken this information and many of the examples from The Grammar of Spoken and Written
English (Biber et al., 1999)1, New Proficiency Gold (Newbrook and Wilson, 2001)2, Advanced
Language Practice (Vince, 2003)3, Alexander (1990)4.

Verbs of saying and believing can be found in the following patterns.

1. Active:

People say: ‘ He is a thief.’  People say (that) he is a thief.

Passive:

1.a. It is said that he is a thief. (It + passive verb + that-clause + subject)

1.b. He is said to be a thief. (Subject + passive verb + present/perfect to-inf)

2. Active:

People say: ‘There is plenty of oil off our own coast.’  People say that there is plenty of oil
off our own coast.

Passive:

2.a. It is said that there is plenty of oil off our own coast. (It + passive verb + that-clause +
existential there-clause )

1 BIBER, D., L. Johanson, G.Leech, S. Conrad, E.Finegan. (1999) Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English.

Longman.

2 NEWBROOK, J. & J. WILSON (2001) New Proficiency Gold. Longman

3 VINCE, M 2009 Advanced Language Practice: English Grammar and Vocabulary. Macmillan

4
ALEXANDER, L. G. (1990) Longman English Grammar Practice. Longman.
 2.b. There is said to be plenty of oil off our own coast. (There + passive verb + to be)

SOME FORMAL ASPECTS OF THESE PASSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

 When the reported action/state has the same temporal reference as the passive reporting
verb, or to a time which is future in relation to the passive reporting verb, the verb referring
to the reported action/state is used in the to-infinitive.

 It is rumoured that he is a spy.

 He is rumoured to be a spy.

 It is rumoured that he is planning to resign.

 He is rumoured to be planning to resign.

 It was rumoured that he was a spy.

 He was rumoured to be a spy.

 It will be rumoured that he is a spy.

 He will be rumoured to be a spy.

 It is expected that he will resign next month.

 He is expected to resign next month.

 When the reported action/state took place/will take place before the action/state denoted
by the passive verb of thinking or saying, the reported action is expressed with the perfect
infinitive.

 It is rumoured that he was a spy in World War II.

 He is rumoured to have been a spy in World War II.

 It is believed that Smith left England last week.

 Smith is believed to have left England last week.

 It was thought that the thief had left the house.

 The thief was thought to have left the house.

 It was believed that she had been living in Scotland.

 She was believed to have been living in Scotland.

 It will be alleged that she was not aware of anything.

 She will be alleged not to have been aware of anything.
  It is thought that he didn’t commit the crime.
 He is thought not to have committed the crime.
 He is not thought to have committed the crime.

 When the action in the subordinate clause refers to the future, the second pattern above is
only possible if the verb in the active sentence has an object and an infinitive.

Compare:

Active: Everyone expects Bradley to get the contract.

V DO INF (future reference)

Passive: Bradley is expected to get the contract.

(It is expected that Bradley will get the contract)
and

Active: People hope that fines will discourage littering.

*People hope fines to discourage littering. X ungramatical

Passive: * Fines are hoped to discourage littering. X

(It is hoped that fines will discourage littering.)

Note:

Active: People fear that he hasn’t responded to the treatment.

V that-clause with past reference

Passive: He is feared not to have responded to the treatment.

(It is feared that he hasn’t responded to the treatment.)

USE OF THESE PASSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

These passive constructions, especially (1.b) and (2.b)above, are rare in conversation and infrequent
in fiction, but they occur quite frequently in news and academic prose.

An unemployed teenager sharing a house with a family was assumed to have a separate ,
and often lower, income. (NEWS)
 Tens of thousands of phantom azalea bushes and geraniums are believed to be alive and
growing in the gardens of Northern Ireland. (NEWS)

The costs are claimed to be 2.5bn. (NEWS)

Of the various materials used, wooden slats, asphalt, rubber mats or damp straw can be said
to be neutral types of floor. (ACAD)

The speaker using these constructions:

 avoids sounding assertive

 tries to sound objective
 expresses caution, tentativeness