Passive reporting (it is said that...)

Sometimes you want to report a widely held opinion, a claim, or a piece of news without saying exactly who said it — people say she's brilliant, but who exactly is "people"? English has a neat impersonal way to express this using the passive with reporting verbs like say, believe, think, and report: she is said to be brilliant. This builds directly on the present and past simple passive — same be + past participle idea, just applied to verbs of reporting and belief.

Quick shortcut: there are two common patterns. It + is/was + past participle + that... (it is said that she is brilliant) and subject + is/was + past participle + to (have) + verb (she is said to be brilliant). In many cases they express the same basic idea, but the second pattern isn't equally natural with every reporting verb — see below.

Pattern 1: It + passive reporting verb + that-clause

This pattern starts with the "empty" subject it, followed by a passive reporting verb, followed by a full that-clause carrying the actual information:

• It is said that the company is losing money.
• It is believed that the missing hikers are still alive.
• It was reported that the road would reopen soon.
• It is thought that early humans arrived here 10,000 years ago.

This is often the easier pattern to reach for first, because the that-clause after it can keep its own tense freely, exactly like a normal sentence — there's no infinitive to adjust. That is often kept for clarity, though it's also commonly dropped in news or formal writing (it is said she is brilliant).

Pattern 2: Subject + passive reporting verb + infinitive

The second pattern moves the real subject of the that-clause to the front of the whole sentence, and turns the rest into an infinitive:

• It is said that she is brilliant. → She is said to be brilliant.
• It is believed that they left the country. → They are believed to have left the country.
• It was reported that the factory had closed. → The factory was reported to have closed.

Which infinitive you use depends on when the reported action happens relative to the reporting verb:

✅ is thought to be describes a present state, but ❌ is thought to have be isn't a real form — the perfect infinitive is ✅ is thought to have been, not to have be: He is thought to have been the last person to see her.

A future meaning is most natural with expect: Prices are expected to rise next year. With most other reporting verbs, a future event is usually easier to express by staying with Pattern 1 and adding will inside the that-clause: It is believed that he will arrive tomorrow reads more naturally than he is believed to arrive tomorrow.

Existential there is / there are can move to the front the same way an ordinary subject does: It is said that there are secret tunnels under the city. → There are said to be secret tunnels under the city.

If the that-clause contains a modal verb (can, must, should), there's no infinitive that carries a modal directly — ❌ he is said to can speak six languages isn't a real form. The safest option is to keep Pattern 1 (it is said that he can speak six languages); sometimes the modal's meaning can be rephrased instead, though this can shift the shade of meaning slightly: can → is said to be able to (he is said to be able to speak six languages), must (deduction) is usually best left as Pattern 1 rather than converted (it is believed that he must be hiding nearby, not a natural infinitive version), and should (obligation) often rephrases better with a different verb entirely: it is said that employees should apply online → employees are expected to apply online.

Common reporting verbs used this way

These patterns are common with verbs of saying, reporting, belief, knowledge, judgement, and estimation: say, report, believe, think, know, consider, understand, claim, allege, expect, estimate, rumour (usually only in the passive: it is rumoured that...). Not every verb sits equally comfortably in both patterns, though — for example, announce is far more common in Pattern 1 (it was announced that the winners would be revealed) than in Pattern 2 (❌ the winners were announced to be revealed isn't natural).

• It is estimated that the bridge cost over $2 billion.
• The suspect is alleged to have stolen the funds.
• Prices are expected to rise next year.
• She is considered to be one of the best players of her generation. — consider sits especially comfortably in Pattern 2, where to be is often dropped: she is considered one of the best players... Pattern 1 with consider is more formal, and usually pairs with an adjective: it is considered likely that prices will rise.

Past reporting: is said vs was said

Both parts can be past, and each carries a different meaning — the tense of the passive auxiliary be shows the time at which the report, belief, or opinion is presented as current, while the infinitive (in Pattern 2) tells you when the reported action happened:

• He is said to have won three medals. — the claim exists now, and the winning happened before now.
• He was said to have won three medals. — the claim existed at some point in the past (perhaps it's since been disproven, or people just don't say it anymore), and the winning happened before that past point.

✅ is said to have won is different from ❌ is said to won — the perfect infinitive always needs have, never the bare past form: only ✅ to have won, never ❌ to won or ❌ to had won.

Common mistakes

• ❌ She is said being rich. → ✅ She is said to be rich. (the infinitive, not -ing, for a present state)
• ❌ He is believed to left. → ✅ He is believed to have left. (a completed earlier action needs the perfect infinitive to have + past participle)
• ❌ He is said to have win. → ✅ He is said to have won. (the perfect infinitive always uses the past participle, not the base form)
• ❌ He is said to will win. → ✅ It is said that he will win. / ✅ He is expected to win. (a modal like will can't follow the infinitive to — keep Pattern 1, or switch to a verb like expect that already carries the future meaning)

Quick check

You can rewrite each sentence using the pattern shown.

1. People believe the painting is a fake. → It ____.
2. It is thought that she has already left. → She ____.
3. People say the bridge was built in 1920. → The bridge ____.
4. It is reported that the strike is continuing. → The strike ____.

Key takeaways

• Passive reporting verbs let you state a claim, belief, or piece of news without naming who holds it.
• Pattern 1: It + is/was + past participle + that... — keeps the normal tense inside the that-clause.
• Pattern 2: Subject + is/was + past participle + to (have) + verb — moves the real subject to the front and turns the claim into an infinitive.
• Use to + base verb for the same time as the reporting verb (or, especially after expect, a future time), to have + past participle for something earlier, to be + -ing for something ongoing, and to be/have been + past participle when the reported action is itself passive.
• Common verbs: say, report, believe, think, know, consider, understand, claim, allege, expect, estimate, rumour — not all of them sit equally well in both patterns.
• The tense of the passive auxiliary be (is said vs was said) shows when the report or belief is presented as current — separately from when the reported action itself happened.
• A modal inside the that-clause (can, must, should) can't be turned directly into an infinitive — keep Pattern 1, or rephrase (is said to be able to for can).