English — Reporting passive structures
To report what people generally say or believe without naming a source, English uses two impersonal passive patterns: It is said that... and He is said to....
How it works
The first pattern keeps the impersonal It as subject: It is said that he is rich. The second raises the person to subject and uses a to-infinitive: He is said to be rich. For an earlier action, use a perfect infinitive: She is thought to have left. Common reporting verbs here are say, believe, think, know, consider, report.
Examples
| It + passive + that-clause | Subject + passive + to-infinitive |
|---|---|
| It is said that he is rich. | He is said to be rich. |
| It is thought that she has left. | She is thought to have left. |
| It is believed that they live abroad. | They are believed to live abroad. |
| It is known that he was a spy. | He is known to have been a spy. |
| It is reported that the talks are failing. | The talks are reported to be failing. |
| It is expected that prices will rise. | Prices are expected to rise. |
Good to know
The time of the infinitive is relative to the reporting verb, not absolute. A simple to-infinitive (to be, to live) marks the same or later time, while a perfect infinitive (to have left, to have been) marks an earlier one — so He is said to have been rich means people now say he was rich in the past. Learners often wrongly write He is said that he is rich; the that-clause belongs only with It, never after a personal subject.