“People believe that the building is empty” can become “It is believed that the building is empty” or “The building is believed to be empty.” Both passive versions report a belief without naming the people who hold it.
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These structures are common in formal reporting, but they do not make a statement true. When the source matters, identify it: “Investigators believe…” is often more informative than an unexplained “It is believed…”
Two patterns, two different structures
The first pattern begins with introductory it and keeps a complete that-clause. The second promotes the person or thing being discussed to the main subject and uses a to-infinitive.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| It + passive reporting verb + that + clause | It is said that the bridge is unsafe. |
| Subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive | The bridge is said to be unsafe. |
| Active report with an explicit source | Local engineers say that the bridge is unsafe. |
Do not combine the patterns as “The bridge is said that it is unsafe.” Choose either It is said that the bridge… or The bridge is said to….
Common reporting verbs include say, believe, think, consider, expect, and report. They do not express identical meanings: expected concerns an anticipated situation, while reported attributes information to reports.
Choosing the infinitive for time
The reporting verb tells you when the report or belief exists. The infinitive shows how the reported action relates to that time.
| Relationship | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Situation at the time of the belief | He is believed to live in York. | The current belief concerns his home. |
| Activity in progress | He is believed to be working abroad. | The current belief concerns an ongoing activity. |
| Earlier action | He is believed to have left York. | The departure happened before the current belief. |
| Earlier continuing activity | He is believed to have been working abroad. | The belief concerns an earlier ongoing activity. |
The perfect infinitive to have + past participle marks an earlier action. “The company is reported to have sold the building” concerns a sale before the current report; “The company is reported to be selling the building” presents the sale as in progress.
Reports made in the past
Change the reporting verb when you are describing a past report: “The building was believed to be empty.” At that past time, people believed that it was empty.
To describe an action earlier than a past report, keep a perfect infinitive: “The passengers were thought to have left before the alarm sounded.” Their departure precedes the past belief being described.
Compare “She was expected to arrive at six” with “She is expected to arrive at six.” Both anticipate an arrival, but the expectation belongs to a different reporting time. Neither sentence alone guarantees that she actually arrived or will arrive.
Passive actions inside the report
Sometimes the reported person or thing also receives an action. Use a passive infinitive: “The painting is expected to be sold next month.”
For an earlier passive action, use to have been + past participle: “The painting is believed to have been stolen last year.” There are two passive relationships here: people believe something, and someone stole the painting.
| Full that-clause | Subject + infinitive |
|---|---|
| It is believed that the road is blocked. | The road is believed to be blocked. |
| It is believed that the road was repaired last year. | The road is believed to have been repaired last year. |
| It is expected that the road will reopen tomorrow. | The road is expected to reopen tomorrow. |
When an active source is clearer
A reporting passive can be useful when the source is general or already established. However, “It is claimed that this method works” leaves the reader wondering who made the claim and on what basis.
If you know the source, an active sentence may be clearer: “The manufacturer claims that the method works.” You can also retain a source in a passive sentence, but avoid a long chain of impersonal wording that hides responsibility.
Consider this fictional workplace update: “The supplier says the parts left the warehouse on Monday. They are expected to arrive on Thursday.” The first sentence identifies the source; the second gives the expected next event without repeating it unnecessarily.
Practice: choose the right pattern
Rewrite the sentences using the opening given. Focus on the relationship between the action and the report, rather than simply copying a tense label.
- People believe that the house is empty. Begin: “It…”.
- People say that Noor speaks four languages. Begin: “Noor…”.
- People believe that the guests left yesterday. Begin: “The guests…”.
- People expect that the results will be published tomorrow. Begin: “The results…”.
- Correct: “The team is believed that it is training abroad.”
- Complete: “The manuscript is thought _____ in the nineteenth century.” Use write, with an earlier passive action.
- Does “The train was expected to arrive at noon” prove that it arrived at noon?
- Make the source clearer: “It is claimed that the app can assess pronunciation.” The claim comes from the developer.
Answers and explanations
- It is believed that the house is empty. Keep a complete clause after that.
- Noor is said to speak four languages. Use a simple infinitive for the reported ability.
- The guests are believed to have left yesterday. The departure is earlier than the present belief.
- The results are expected to be published tomorrow. The results receive the action, so use a passive infinitive.
- The team is believed to be training abroad. The subject pattern requires a to-infinitive.
- To have been written. This combines an earlier action with passive meaning.
- No. It reports a past expectation, not a confirmed arrival.
- The developer claims that the app can assess pronunciation. Naming the source lets the reader identify whose statement is being reported.
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