Passives with Reporting Verbs
Passive reporting verbs are used in news reporting or talking about opinions and beliefs without being specific on who said what.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the structures to use and practise using them.
What are the structures of the reporting verbs?
The reporting verbs used in passive structures are used commonly in formal writing and news reports.
Structures
- It + passive verb + that + clause
- Subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
Common Reporting Verbs
Consider, know, report, assume, allege, expect, discover, say, believe, claim, suggest, think, understand, estimate, announce
Examples
- It is believed that they are going to arrive soon.
- They are expected to speak to the public at 6pm.
- It is estimated to cost £2million.
- He is reported to have been the thief.
Examples
It is believed that the economy will improve next year.
The suspect is alleged to have stolen the money.
It is reported that the company is losing money.
Practise
Rewrite the sentences using one of the structures.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using active structure instead of passive
- Forgetting ‘to’ in the infinitive structure
Common mistakes learners make
- Using active structure instead of passive
- Forgetting ‘to’ in the infinitive structure