Passive with Reporting Verbs

Why a Special Passive?

In journalism, academic writing, and formal reports, you often want to share what people believe without saying who. “People say…” or “Everyone thinks…” sounds vague and conversational. English has two more elegant solutions, both passive:

It is said that the actor lives in Paris.

The actor is said to live in Paris.

Both sentences communicate the same idea — there’s a rumour about where the actor lives — but neither names a source. This is the impersonal passive, and it’s everywhere in news headlines, research papers, and corporate communication.

Reporting verbs that fit this pattern include: say, believe, think, know, report, claim, allege, expect, consider, understand, presume, assume, estimate, find, suggest.

Structure 1: `It Is Said That…`

The simplest form: a placeholder it, the passive of a reporting verb, then a full that clause.

`It`	+ passive reporting verb	+ that	+ full clause
It	is said	that	the company is in trouble.
It	is believed	that	the manuscript dates from 1450.
It	is reported	that	three suspects have been arrested.
It	was thought	that	the building was empty.
It	has been claimed	that	the data is unreliable.

This is the easiest form to produce because the that clause keeps the original sentence intact. You only need to add the passive reporting frame.

People believe that he is innocent. → It is believed that he is innocent.

Experts say that the painting is a forgery. → It is said that the painting is a forgery.

Structure 2: `He Is Said To Be…`

The more compact (and more common in headlines) version: the subject moves up to become the subject of the reporting verb, and the original verb becomes an infinitive.

Subject	+ passive reporting verb	+ infinitive
The actor	is said	to live in Paris.
The CEO	is believed	to be retiring.
The painting	is thought	to be genuine.
Three suspects	are reported	to have been arrested.
The manuscript	is estimated	to date from 1450.

The two structures carry the same meaning. Compare:

It is said that the actor lives in Paris. The actor is said to live in Paris.

Use the second when you want the subject in the spotlight, which is why news stories prefer it: the reader sees the topic immediately.

Choosing the Right Infinitive

The hardest part is matching the time of the reported event with the right infinitive form.

When the event happens	Use	Example
Same time as the reporting	`to + verb`	`He is said to live abroad.`
Earlier than the reporting	`to have + V3`	`He is said to have lived abroad.`
Same time, ongoing	`to be + -ing`	`He is said to be living abroad.`
Earlier, ongoing	`to have been + -ing`	`He is said to have been living abroad for years.`

Worked examples:

People say he works for the government. → He is said to work for the government.

People say he worked for the government. → He is said to have worked for the government.

People say he is working on a new book. → He is said to be working on a new book.

People say he has been working there for ten years. → He is said to have been working there for ten years.

The reporting verb stays present (is said); only the infinitive shifts to show when the event happened.

Past Reports

When the reporting itself happened in the past, just shift the reporting verb:

It was thought that he had escaped. / He was thought to have escaped.

It was believed that the city had been destroyed. / The city was believed to have been destroyed.

This is common in historical and crime reporting:

The fire was originally believed to have started in the kitchen.

The painter was once thought to have died young, but new records suggest otherwise.

Verbs That Take This Pattern

Most “mental” or “speech” verbs work with both structures:

Verb	`It is …` form	`He is … to` form
say	`It is said that…`	`He is said to…`
believe	`It is believed that…`	`He is believed to…`
think	`It is thought that…`	`He is thought to…`
know	`It is known that…`	`He is known to…`
report	`It is reported that…`	`He is reported to…`
claim	`It is claimed that…`	`He is claimed to…`
allege	`It is alleged that…`	`He is alleged to…`
expect	`It is expected that…`	`He is expected to…`
consider	`It is considered that…`	`He is considered to…`
understand	`It is understood that…`	`He is understood to…`
estimate	`It is estimated that…`	`It is estimated to…`
presume	`It is presumed that…`	`He is presumed to…`

A few verbs (suggest, recommend, propose) only work with the It is …that form because they take a that-clause naturally.

It is suggested that more research is needed. ✔ More research is suggested to be needed. ✘ (avoid)

Register: When to Use This

Setting	Common?	Example
News and journalism	very common	`The minister is reported to have resigned.`
Academic and research writing	very common	`The fossils are estimated to be 200 million years old.`
Police, legal, and crime reporting	very common	`The suspect is alleged to have entered the building at 9 pm.`
Business announcements	common	`The company is expected to release results next week.`
Conversational English	rare	(in speech, prefer `People say…` or `I heard that…`)

In casual speech, choose a lighter form:

People say she's brilliant. / Apparently she's brilliant. / I've heard she's brilliant.

In writing, the passive form gives distance, neutrality, and authority — useful when you don’t want to name your source or commit to its truth.

Allege vs Claim vs Report — A Register Note

These three appear constantly in journalism but carry different shades of certainty:

Verb	Implies	Example
`report`	a confirmed source has stated this	`He is reported to have arrived on Tuesday.`
`claim`	someone says this, but the writer is sceptical	`He claims to have witnessed the event.`
`allege`	a serious accusation, not yet proved (legal context)	`He is alleged to have stolen the documents.`

Allege is especially important in legal writing: using it correctly protects the writer from libel because it explicitly signals the claim is unproven.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix	Why
`It is said the actor live in Paris.`	`It is said that the actor lives in Paris.`	Use `that` and a full clause with subject-verb agreement.
`He is said live in Paris.`	`He is said to live in Paris.`	The infinitive `to` is required after the reporting verb.
`He is said to lived in Paris before.`	`He is said to have lived in Paris before.`	For an earlier event, use `to have + past participle`, not the past simple.
`It is said by people that he is rich.`	`It is said that he is rich.`	Don’t add `by people` — the whole point of this passive is to leave the source unnamed.
`He says to be a doctor.`	`He claims to be a doctor.` / `He is said to be a doctor.`	`Say` cannot be used like this in the active. Use `claim` or the passive form.
`It is alleging that he stole the money.`	`It is alleged that he stole the money.`	The passive form is `is alleged`, not the gerund.
`She is believed work for the company.`	`She is believed to work for the company.`	The infinitive `to` is non-negotiable in the personal passive.

Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet

You want to say	Use
There is a general belief X is true	`It is + V3 + that…`: `It is believed that X is true.`
Spotlight the subject of the rumour	`Subject + is + V3 + to + verb`: `X is believed to be true.`
The event happened earlier	`…to have + V3`: `He is said to have lied.`
The event is ongoing	`…to be + -ing`: `He is said to be working.`
Both earlier and ongoing	`…to have been + -ing`: `He is said to have been working there.`
The reporting itself was past	`was + V3`: `It was thought that…` / `He was thought to be…`

Practice: Exercises

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Rewrite: 'People say the actor lives in Paris.'

Summary

When you want to report shared knowledge, rumours, or beliefs without naming a source, use one of two passive frames:

It is said/believed/thought that + full clause
Subject + is said/believed/thought + to + infinitive

Match the time of the reported event to the infinitive: to + verb for the same time, to have + V3 for earlier, to be + -ing for ongoing, to have been + -ing for both. This structure is the workhorse of journalism, academic writing, and legal reporting — formal, neutral, and source-free by design.