📖 Advanced Passive Structures Rules: Impersonal Passive with Reporting Verbs

Rule 1: Impersonal Passive (It + passive + that clause)

It + passive reporting verb + that + subject + verb.
Example: "It is said that he speaks five languages."

Rule 2: Personal Passive (Subject + passive + to-infinitive)

Subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive (present or perfect).
Example: "He is said to speak five languages." / "He is said to have spoken five languages."

Rule 3: Tense agreement in the infinitive

Present infinitive (to be) for same time. Perfect infinitive (to have been) for earlier time. Example: "She is believed to be working now." / "She is believed to have finished yesterday."

Rule 4: Passive reporting verbs list

believe, think, know, report, say, consider, expect, understand, allege, claim, estimate, presume, assume, acknowledge, recommend.

Rule 5: Changing active to advanced passive

Active: "People think he is honest." → Impersonal: "It is thought that he is honest." → Personal: "He is thought to be honest."

💡 The personal passive is very common in journalistic English: "The Prime Minister is expected to resign."