Basics. Reporting with Passives: correct answers
Jump to answers ↓What Reporting Passives Do
When we report what people generally say, think, or believe — especially when the source is vague ("people," "experts," "the media") — English lets us flip the sentence into a passive structure so we don't have to name who said it. This is extremely common in news, academic writing, and formal speech.
Compare these two versions of the same idea:
People say that the company is in trouble. It is said that the company is in trouble.
Both mean the same thing, but the passive version sounds more formal and impersonal. There are actually two passive patterns you need to know, and mixing them up is the single biggest mistake at this level.
The Two Patterns
Pattern 1 — "It" as subject:
It + passive reporting verb + that-clause It is believed that the president will resign.
Pattern 2 — Person as subject:
Person + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive The president is believed to resign. ❌ The president is believed to be planning to resign. ✅
Notice the trap in Pattern 2. You can't just paste the original verb in its old tense after "is believed." You need the right infinitive form to reflect the time relationship.
Here's how the infinitive changes depending on timing:
- Same time as the reporting: He is said to live in Berlin. (= People say he lives in Berlin — now.)
- Earlier than the reporting: He is said to have lived in Berlin. (= People say he lived there — before now.)
- Action in progress: She is believed to be working on a new book. (= right now, ongoing.)
Worked Examples
Imagine a news story: "Experts think the painting is a forgery."
✅ It is thought that the painting is a forgery. ✅ The painting is thought to be a forgery. ❌ The painting is thought that is a forgery. — You can't mash the two patterns together.
Now imagine: "Journalists reported that the minister had accepted bribes."
✅ It was reported that the minister had accepted bribes. ✅ The minister was reported to have accepted bribes. — "to have accepted" because the bribe-taking happened before the reporting. ❌ The minister was reported to accept bribes. — This wrongly suggests an ongoing habit at the time of reporting, not a completed past event.
Which Verbs Work Here?
Not every reporting verb fits neatly into both patterns. The most common ones are: say, think, believe, know, report, consider, expect, understand, claim, allege, assume, suppose.
You'll notice these are all verbs about opinions, beliefs, or public statements — not commands or suggestions. You wouldn't normally write "It is recommended to be a good idea"; that verb follows different rules.
A useful test: if you can naturally write "People [verb] that …", the passive version with it will almost certainly work.
The Mistake That Catches Everyone
B1–B2 learners overwhelmingly make one error: using the wrong infinitive form in Pattern 2. They write the simple infinitive when they need the perfect infinitive, or vice versa.
The fix is mechanical. Ask yourself: Did the reported action happen before the moment of reporting?
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Yes → use "to have + past participle." She is known to have donated millions. (The donations already happened.)
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No, it's happening around the same time → use the simple or continuous infinitive. He is understood to be negotiating a new contract. (Negotiations are ongoing now.)
Get this one distinction right and you'll handle reporting passives accurately almost every time. When in doubt, Pattern 1 (It is said that …) is always the safer choice — it lets you keep the original verb tenses intact inside the that-clause, so there's less to transform and less to get wrong.
Correct answers
Question 1
Help the local news anchor complete this bizarre report about a neighborhood menace by choosing the correct phrase for each gap.
The infamous stray cat is known to have stolen over fifty silver teaspoons from local residents over the last year. Currently, the furry thief is believed to be hiding somewhere in the mayor's attic. According to the police chief, it is reported that the feline only targets high-quality silverware.
The infamous stray cat is known to have stolen over fifty silver teaspoons from local residents over the last year.
Because the stealing happened in the past, we use the perfect infinitive (to have + past participle) after the passive reporting verb.
Currently, the furry thief is believed to be hiding somewhere in the mayor's attic.
Because the hiding is happening right now, we use the continuous infinitive (to be + verb-ing).
According to the police chief, it is reported that the feline only targets high-quality silverware.
This uses the impersonal passive reporting structure: It is + past participle + that clause.
Question 2
The correct answers are The aliens are expected to arrive on Earth next Tuesday. and It is expected that the aliens will arrive on Earth next Tuesday.
For future expectations, the personal passive structure uses the subject + passive verb + simple infinitive (The aliens are expected to arrive).
The impersonal passive structure uses "It" + passive verb + "that" clause with a future tense (It is expected that the aliens will arrive).
You cannot follow a personal subject like "The aliens" with a "that" clause in this structure, nor can you follow the impersonal "It is expected" directly with an infinitive phrase.
Question 3
The correct answers are:
- It is rumored
- the glowing spaceship was reported
- to have vanished
Explanations:
- It is rumored: When using a "that" clause for passive reporting, we must use the dummy subject "It" (It + passive reporting verb + that + clause).
- was reported: The farmers did the reporting in the past, so the spaceship "was reported" (past passive).
- to have vanished: When the subject (the spaceship) is placed at the front of a passive reporting sentence, it must be followed by a "to-infinitive." Because the vanishing happened before or at the time of the reporting, we use the perfect infinitive ("to have vanished").
Question 4
Help the science fiction writer complete this dramatic sentence for their latest novel.
By the time he was finally caught by the authorities, the eccentric billionaire was known _____ on a functional time machine for over a decade.
The correct answer is to have been working.
This sentence combines a past passive reporting verb (was known) with an action that was ongoing up until that past moment (for over a decade).
To express this continuous duration leading up to a past point, we must use the perfect continuous infinitive (to have been + -ing). "To be working" would just mean he was working at that exact moment, ignoring the "for over a decade" duration.
Question 5
The correct answers are Arthur was rumored to be living in a secret volcano lair. and It was rumored that Arthur was living in a secret volcano lair.
To report an ongoing action that was happening at the same time as the past rumor, we use the continuous infinitive (to be living) after the personal passive subject ("Arthur was rumored...").
We can also use the impersonal "It" followed by a "that" clause containing the past continuous tense (It was rumored that Arthur was living...).
"Arthur was rumored living" is missing the required "to be," and "It was rumored Arthur to be living" incorrectly mixes the impersonal "It" structure with an infinitive.
Question 6
Complete the sci-fi movie reviewer's plot summary by choosing the correct grammatical structure for each gap.
In the year 3022, it is said that the MasterChef 3000 suddenly gained sentience. Shortly after the malfunction, the robot chef is alleged to have poisoned the planetary governor's soup with hot sauce. Now, heavily armed and barricaded in the kitchen, the mechanical menace is reported to be demanding three tons of premium garlic before it will surrender.
In the year 3022, it is said that the MasterChef 3000 suddenly gained sentience.
When reporting a general belief using a that clause, we use the impersonal pronoun It (It is said that...).
Shortly after the malfunction, the robot chef is alleged to have poisoned the planetary governor's soup with hot sauce.
The poisoning is a completed past action, so we follow the passive reporting verb with a perfect infinitive (to have poisoned).
Now, heavily armed and barricaded in the kitchen, the mechanical menace is reported to be demanding three tons of premium garlic before it will surrender.
The demanding is an ongoing action in the present, so we use the continuous infinitive (to be demanding).
Question 7
The correct answers are It is reported that the Phantom stole the royal diamonds last night. and The Phantom is reported to have stolen the royal diamonds last night.
When reporting on a past event using passive voice, you can use the impersonal structure with "It" + passive reporting verb + "that" clause (It is reported that...).
Alternatively, you can use the personal structure with the subject + passive reporting verb + perfect infinitive (The Phantom is reported to have stolen...) to show that the action happened before the reporting.
Using the simple infinitive ("to steal") sounds like a present or future habit, which contradicts "last night."
Question 8
The correct answers are:
- is widely understood to have been buried
- are thought to have cursed
- are now known to have been triggered
Explanations:
- to have been buried: The king didn't bury himself; someone else buried him in the past. Therefore, we need the perfect passive infinitive.
- to have cursed: The architects actively placed the curse on the entrance in the past. We need the perfect active infinitive here.
- to have been triggered: The traps did not trigger themselves; they were triggered by a cat in the past. This requires the perfect passive infinitive.
Question 9
Complete the museum guide's fascinating tale about a historical feline.
Sir Paws-a-Lot, an 18th-century aristocat, is widely believed _____ the concept of the 3 PM afternoon nap.
The correct answer is to have invented.
When we use a passive reporting verb (like is believed, is said, is known) followed by an action that happened before the time of reporting, we use the perfect infinitive (to have + past participle).
"To invent" would incorrectly suggest he is inventing it now or in the future, while "that he invented" requires the impersonal structure: "It is widely believed that he invented..."
Question 10
Piece together the archaeologist's dramatic (and highly questionable) findings by choosing the correct reporting verb for each gap.
Ancient King Bob is rumored to have ridden a domesticated T-Rex into battle. Furthermore, the king's legendary titanium crown is thought to have been forged in the heart of an active volcano. Despite the critics, the excavation site is expected to yield even more ridiculous artifacts when digging resumes tomorrow.
Ancient King Bob is rumored to have ridden a domesticated T-Rex into battle.
The action of riding happened before the present rumor, so we use the perfect infinitive (to have ridden).
Furthermore, the king's legendary titanium crown is thought to have been forged in the heart of an active volcano.
The crown received the action in the past, so we need the perfect passive infinitive (to have been forged).
Despite the critics, the excavation site is expected to yield even more ridiculous artifacts when digging resumes tomorrow.
The yielding of artifacts is a future expectation, so we use the simple present infinitive (to yield).
Question 11
Choose the correct phrase to complete the food critic's scathing restaurant review.
The notorious head chef of The Greasy Spoon is rumored _____ a single fresh vegetable in his entire twenty-year career.
The correct answer is not to have cooked.
When making a passive reporting infinitive negative, we place not immediately before to (e.g., not to have cooked).
Because the sentence refers to a completed period covering his past experience ("his entire twenty-year career"), we must use the perfect infinitive (have cooked) rather than the simple infinitive (cook). "That he hasn't cooked" is grammatically incorrect here because it lacks the dummy subject "It" (e.g., It is rumored that he hasn't cooked...).
Question 12
The correct answers are:
- The missing diamond is estimated
- to have been worth
- the mastermind is reported
- to be living
Explanations:
- is estimated: We use the present passive ("is estimated") because this is the current belief of the authorities.
- have been worth: We use the perfect infinitive ("to have been + past participle/adjective") because the diamond's high value was a state in the past (before it was cut).
- is reported: Again, we use the present passive because this is what people report today.
- be living: We use the continuous infinitive ("to be + -ing") because the action is happening temporarily or continuously right now.