Presentation: Passive Reporting Verbs
Uploaded by
Dinara İbrahim QızıPresentation: Passive Reporting Verbs
Uploaded by
Dinara İbrahim QızıLife Advanced Unit 8a
Passive reporting verbs
Report on the meeting
Point 1: It was agreed to postpone any final decision on the
location of the new headquarters until next year.
Point 2: Our customers are believed to approve of the
new product though it is hoped that the market
research scheduled for next year will confirm this.
Point 3: It was suggested that the planned employee bonus
scheme should be reviewed and it is expected that
a final decision will be taken next year.
Point 4: Another meeting is thought to be planned for
next year!
Presentation
We often use reporting verbs in the passive when: Future
•
we do not know or cannot verify the source of the It is expected that the company will open a one hundred
information. more branches this year.
•
we assume that the reader or listener is not interested It is understood that the new director will be appointed
in who the agent or source is. in January.
• the agent or source is obvious from the context. 2 subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
The structure is very common in formal writing, e.g. The company is believed to have been sold for $20 million.
newspaper articles, academic essays and business
Present
documents, as well as in formal speaking contexts, e.g.
academic discussions and business meetings. The winner of the lottery is thought to live in the north
west of the country.
Use the passive in two different ways:
The President is believed to be considering the new
1 It 1 passive verb 1 that clause proposals.
It is believed that the painting was sold to a private art Past
collector for $35 million.
Ten thousand people are known to have taken part in the
Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: celebrations.
agree, allege, announce, assume, believe, claim, consider,
No one was thought to have been injured.
decide, estimate, expect, fear, hope, know, presume,
report, say, suggest, think, understand. Future
Present The new branch is expected to open in January.
It is thought that the more people shop online than ever The King is said to approve of the plan.
before. Notice how we use passive reporting verbs with there:
It is believed that the government is considering an It is known that there are still problems with the design.
increase in tax.
There are known to be small problems with the design.
Past
It was agreed that no final decision would be taken at
this stage.
It wasn’t reported that anyone had resigned over the mistake.
Practical Grammar 3 1 © National Geographic Learning
Advanced Unit 8a
Exercises
1 Choose the correct reporting verbs.
1 It is known / expected that man first landed on the moon in 1969.
2 The world population is estimated / decided to be around seven billion.
3 It has been thought / announced that the next election will be on May 8th. That’s official.
4 The man awaiting trial is known / alleged to have stolen a car.
5 Fossil fuels are agreed / believed to cause global warming.
6 It is thought / considered that the escaped prisoner will try to leave the country.
7 Most applicants are considered / approved to be too under-qualified for the position.
8 The Earth was expected / assumed to be flat over a thousand years ago.
2 Study the sentences in exercise 1. Which sentences are reporting the …
Past: 1 , and
Present: , and
Future: and
3 Report the information in the first sentence in two different ways. Use the verb in brackets in the
passive reporting form.
1 ‘The company was sold off for over a million.’ (believe)
It is believed that the company was sold off for over a million.
The company is believed to have been sold off for over a million.
2 ‘Over half of the typical household spending goes on rent or a mortgage.’ (estimate)
It is .
.
3 ‘The electorate will vote for the President again at the next election.’ (assume)
It is .
.
4 ‘The criminals stole jewellery worth a fortune.’ (claim)
It is .
The criminals .
5 ‘Most employees are supporting the idea of more flexible working hours.’ (know)
It is .
Most employees .
6 ‘The company will launch a new version of the phone by the end of this year.’ (expect)
It is .
The company .
7 ‘The current CEO is planning his retirement.’ (presume)
It is .
The current CEO .
8 ‘The hurricane will reach the coast by morning.’ (fear)
It is .
The hurricane .