Impersonal Passive: Reporting Verbs & Exercises

Two impersonal passive patterns

Start from a general report such as People believe that the painting is authentic. The source people is vague and usually unimportant, so English offers two passive versions.

Impersonal it-pattern

it + passive reporting verb + that-clause

It is believed that the painting is authentic.

The complete proposition remains inside the that-clause.

Personal subject pattern

subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive

The painting is believed to be authentic.

The subject of the reported clause becomes the grammatical subject.

Active report	It-pattern	Subject pattern
Experts say that the drug is effective.	It is said that the drug is effective.	The drug is said to be effective.
Witnesses reported that two people were missing.	It was reported that two people were missing.	Two people were reported to be missing.
Analysts expect that prices will fall.	It is expected that prices will fall.	Prices are expected to fall.

Agreement: in the subject pattern, the passive reporting verb agrees with the raised subject: The device is thought…; The devices are thought…

Match the infinitive to time, aspect and voice

The tense of the passive reporting verb locates the report. The infinitive locates the reported situation relative to that report.

Relationship	Infinitive	Example
State or event at the same time	to be / to do	The route is believed to be safe.
Action in progress	to be doing	The parties are reported to be negotiating.
Earlier active event	to have done	The suspect is thought to have left yesterday.
Earlier continuous activity	to have been doing	The company is alleged to have been concealing losses.
Same-time passive event/state	to be done	The data is expected to be released today.
Earlier passive event	to have been done	The files are believed to have been deleted.

Terminology: learners sometimes search for “perfect infinitive passive”. The standard label perfect passive infinitive describes to have been + past participle; it marks a passive event completed before the reporting time.

Common timeline error: The minister is believed to resign last night. Use is believed to have resigned because the resignation is earlier than the current belief.

Which passive reporting verbs allow each pattern?

Common verbs include say, believe, think, know, understand, report, allege, claim, consider, expect, estimate and assume. Their meaning and complementation still matter.

Claims and beliefs

say, believe, think, consider, assume, understand

The site is thought to contain earlier remains.

Evidence and reports

report, know, allege, claim

Three accounts are known to have been compromised.

Prediction and expectation

expect, forecast, estimate

Demand is expected to increase.

Restricted verbs

Some verbs work naturally only in the impersonal pattern for a particular meaning.

It is suggested that the dosage be reduced.
Not normally: The dosage is suggested to be reduced.

There-pattern: when the report concerns existence or quantity, English can raise existential there: There are believed to be several causes. Agreement commonly reflects the following noun phrase.

Use reporting passives to manage stance—not to hide weak evidence

Neutral source backgrounding

The passive is useful when the proposition matters more than an already established source.

The treatment is widely believed to be effective.

Distance from a claim

Alleged marks an unproven accusation; reported attributes information without fully endorsing it.

The funds are alleged to have been diverted.

Name a source when it matters

In academic writing, an agentless passive is not a substitute for citation.

Vague: It is believed that the policy failed.
Clearer: Two longitudinal studies conclude that the policy failed.

Keep report time clear

A past reporting verb describes a past belief, even if the embedded situation was earlier.

The pilot was thought to have escaped, but later evidence disproved this.

Avoid double marking: It is believed the device to be safe. Choose either It is believed that the device is safe or The device is believed to be safe.

Impersonal passive exercises: guided practice

1. Transform both ways: “Experts believe that the manuscript is genuine.”

It is believed that the manuscript is genuine. / The manuscript is believed to be genuine. The state is simultaneous with the present belief.

2. Show an earlier event: “Investigators think that the driver left before dawn.”

The driver is thought to have left before dawn. The perfect infinitive places the departure before the present report.

3. Show an ongoing action: “Sources report that the companies are negotiating.”

The companies are reported to be negotiating. The continuous infinitive presents negotiation as in progress.

4. Show an earlier passive event: “Police believe that the documents were destroyed.”

The documents are believed to have been destroyed. Use the perfect passive infinitive.

5. Correct: “The economy is expected that it will recover.”

It is expected that the economy will recover, or The economy is expected to recover. Do not combine the two frames.

6. Improve the evidence: “It is widely believed that remote work reduces productivity.”

If a source is available, name it: A 2025 industry survey reported lower output in two specific roles. The impersonal passive should not disguise an unsupported generalisation.

Production task: write a 100-word news brief containing an it-pattern, a subject pattern with to have done, an ongoing to be doing form and one named source. Check whether each reporting verb expresses evidence, belief, allegation or expectation.

Final check

Impersonal passive and reporting verbs quiz

Choose the pattern and infinitive that preserve the original time, voice and degree of certainty.

Target: 9/12

1. People believe that the painting is authentic. → The painting ___.

believes to be authentic is believed to be authentic is believed that authentic believed being authentic

Why: A simultaneous state uses is believed + to be.

2. It ___ that the treatment is effective.

is believed believes is believing has believe

Why: The impersonal pattern is it + passive reporting verb + that-clause.

3. The suspect is thought ___ before dawn.

to leave to have left to be left having leave

Why: The departure occurred before the present belief, so use the perfect infinitive.

4. The two companies are reported ___ a merger.

to negotiate to be negotiating to have negotiated yesterday now being negotiate

Why: The continuous infinitive expresses an action in progress at the reporting time.

5. The files are believed ___ accidentally.

to delete to have deleted to have been deleted to be deleting

Why: The files received an earlier action, requiring a perfect passive infinitive.

6. Which sentence correctly reports a prediction?

Prices are expected to fall. Prices expect to fall. It expects that prices fall. Prices are expected that fall.

Why: The subject pattern uses passive expected + to-infinitive.

7. Choose the natural pattern with suggest.

The dosage is suggested to reduce. It is suggested that the dosage be reduced. The dosage suggests to be reduced. It suggests the dosage reduced itself.

Why: For this recommendation meaning, the impersonal that-clause is natural; the personal raising pattern is not.

8. There ___ believed to be several contributing factors.

is are has be

Why: With plural several contributing factors, plural agreement is common.

9. Which verb best distances the writer from an unproven accusation?

proves alleges guarantees demonstrates

Why: Allege presents an accusation as claimed rather than established.

10. The pilot was thought ___, but later evidence showed that he had not.

to escape to have escaped to be escaping tomorrow escaped

Why: The supposed escape occurred before the past belief.

11. Correct the mixed frame: “It is believed the device to be safe.”

It is believed that the device is safe. It believes the device is safe. The device believes to be safe. It is believing device safe.

Why: The impersonal frame requires a complete that-clause.

12. Which is the clearest academic choice when the source is important?

It is known that the policy works. The policy is said to work. A five-year cohort study found that the policy improved retention. There is believed to be success.

Why: Naming the evidence source is more informative than an agentless reporting passive.