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Passive Sentences With Reporting Verbs: Luis at KSE Academy

The document discusses passive sentences and reporting verbs. It defines a passive sentence as one where the subject receives the action rather than performs it. Reporting verbs are used to report what someone said or intended. The document then examines reporting passive sentences, which combine a passive structure with a reporting verb. It distinguishes between impersonal reporting passives that use "it" as the subject, and personal reporting passives that use the subject of the reported clause. The different infinitives that can be used with personal reporting passives - simple, continuous, perfect simple, and perfect continuous - are also explained.

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Fabrizio Frade Baez
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85 views17 pages

Passive Sentences With Reporting Verbs: Luis at KSE Academy

The document discusses passive sentences and reporting verbs. It defines a passive sentence as one where the subject receives the action rather than performs it. Reporting verbs are used to report what someone said or intended. The document then examines reporting passive sentences, which combine a passive structure with a reporting verb. It distinguishes between impersonal reporting passives that use "it" as the subject, and personal reporting passives that use the subject of the reported clause. The different infinitives that can be used with personal reporting passives - simple, continuous, perfect simple, and perfect continuous - are also explained.

Uploaded by

Fabrizio Frade Baez
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PASSIVE SENTENCES

WITH
REPORTING VERBS

Luis @ KSE Academy


www.kseacademy.com
What is a passive sentence?
It’s a sentence in which the subject does not carry out the action, it “receives”
it. For example:

The house was built in 1955. (to be + p.p.)

What is a reporting verb?


Reporting verbs are used to communicate what someone said or someone’s

intentions at one time in particular.

They said the house was built in 1955.


Reporting passive
PASSIVE STRUCTURE + REPORTING VERB

In conclusion: reporting verb in the passive.

For example:

ACTIVE: They say that the house is very old.


REPORTING PASSIVE: It is said that the house is very old.

ACTIVE: The police thought that the thief was hiding somewhere in the city. 


REPORTING PASSIVE: The thief was thought to be hiding somewhere in the city.
Types of Reporting Passive
2 types:

➡ IMPERSONAL (easy)

It has been announced that the film will be launched in November.

➡ PERSONAL (difficult)

The film has been announced to be launched in November.


Impersonal Reporting Passive (Easy)
Begin with “it” to make it impersonal.

REP. ACTIVE: People believe that the band will go on tour next summer.

REP. PASSIVE: It is believed that the band will go on tour next summer.

REP. ACTIVE: The press reported that there was a revolution brewing in the country.

REP. PASSIVE: It was reported that there was a revolution brewing in the country.
Impersonal Reporting Passive (Easy)
How to construct Impersonal Reporting Passive sentences:

REP. ACTIVE: The government announced (that) new reforms will take place next year.

1. Find the reporting verb

The government announced that new reforms will take place next year.

2. Start with It and add: (1) the reporting verb in the passive and (2) “that” (optional)

It was announced that…

3. Add the rest of the sentence without changing anything.

It was announced that the new reforms will take place next year.
Impersonal Reporting Passive (Easy)
More examples:

REP. ACTIVE: Everybody knows (that) fruit is good for you. (present simple)


REP. PASSIVE: It is known (that) fruit is good for you. (present simple passive)

REP. ACTIVE: People are saying that nobody will vote for him again. (present continuous)


REP. PASSIVE: It is being said that nobody will vote for him again. (present continuous passive)

REP. ACTIVE: The class agreed that they will have the exam next week. (past simple)


REP. PASSIVE: It was agreed that the class would have the exam next week. (past simple passive)
Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
Begin with the other subject to make it personal.

REP. ACTIVE: Everyone believes that the president is going resign in 2020.

REP. PASSIVE: The president is believed to be resigning in 2020.

REP. ACTIVE: The press reported that he was conspiring against the government.

REP. PASSIVE: He was reported to have been conspiring against the country.

IMPORTANT!

Instead of starting with “It”, start with the second subject of the sentence, the subject of the
reported speech clause.
Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
How to construct Personal Reporting Passive sentences:

REP. ACTIVE: The government announced (that) new reforms will take place next year.

1. Find the reporting verb

The government announced that new reforms will take place next year.

2. Start with the second subject (new reforms) and add: (1) the reporting verb in the passive

New reforms were announced…

3. Add the infinitive of the second main verb

New reforms were announced to take place next year.


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
How to construct Personal Reporting Passive sentences:

General structure: Subject (2nd) + Passive (to be + p.p.) + to-infinitive

NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE


IMPERSONAL: It was announced that the new reforms will take place next year.

PERSONAL: New reforms were announced to take place next year.


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
PROBLEM:
THE INFINITIVE IS LIMITED —> it cannot be conjugated (no tenses, per se)

SOLUTION:
USE ALL THE INFINITIVES
• Simple: to do

• Continuous: to be doing

• Perfect Simple: to have done

• Perfect Continuous: to have been doing


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
WHEN TO USE EACH INFINITIVE:
It depends on the temporal relationship with the reporting verb (before, at the same time,
after) and the duration of the action (in progress, finished, etc.).

SIMPLE INFINITIVE: to do

• Typically, the second verb is in the present simple or a future tense.

• Example:

REP. ACTIVE: Everyone says that the model makes a lot of money.

REP. PASSIVE: The model is said to make a lot of money.


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
WHEN TO USE EACH INFINITIVE:
CONTINUOUS INFINITIVE: to be doing

• The second verb is in the present continuous.

• Example:

REP. ACTIVE: Everyone says that the model is making a lot of money.

REP. PASSIVE: The model is said to be making a lot of money.


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
WHEN TO USE EACH INFINITIVE:
PERFECT SIMPLE INFINITIVE: to have done

• Normally, the second verb is in the past simple, present perfect simple or past perfect
simple.

• Example:

REP. ACTIVE: Everyone says that the model made a lot of money.

REP. PASSIVE: The model is said to have made a lot of money.


Personal Reporting Passive (Difficult)
WHEN TO USE EACH INFINITIVE:
PERFECT CONTINUOUS INFINITIVE: to have been doing

• Normally, the second verb is in the past continuous, present perfect continuous or past
perfect continuous.

• Example:

REP. ACTIVE: Everyone says that the model was making a lot of money.

REP. PASSIVE: The model is said to have been making a lot of money.
One final comparison
REPORTED ACTIVE SENTENCE:

Some people believed the singer committed suicide.

REPORTED PASSIVE SENTENCE (IMPERSONAL):

It was believed that the singer committed suicide.

REPORTED PASSIVE SENTENCE (PERSONAL):

The singer was believed to have committed suicide.


THANK YOU!

kseacademy.com

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