Reporting with Passives
When we want to distance ourselves from a statement or report general beliefs, news, and rumors, we often use passive reporting structures. You can use an impersonal structure starting with "it" (It is reported that the aliens will arrive) or a personal subject followed by a passive reporting verb and an infinitive (The aliens are expected to arrive).
This advanced challenge will test your ability to construct these complex sentences correctly. You will practice choosing between "it is" clauses and personal subjects, and you'll need to select the correct infinitive form to accurately match the timeline of the reported action. The scenarios cover eccentric billionaires, historical felines, and jewel thieves, requiring you to master perfect infinitives (to have invented), perfect continuous infinitives (to have been working), negative perfects (not to have cooked), and even passive infinitives (to have been buried).
You'll work through 12 questions in a fun mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Help the local news anchor complete this bizarre report about a neighborhood menace by dragging the correct phrases into the script.
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.
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.
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").
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.
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.
Complete the sci-fi movie reviewer's plot summary by dragging the correct grammatical structures into the gaps.
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).
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."
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.
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..."
Piece together the archaeologist's dramatic (and highly questionable) findings by dragging the correct reporting verbs into her field journal.
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).
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...).
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.
Clause
- I missed the bus. — ✅ independent clause (stands alone)
- Because I overslept. — ❌ fragment (dependent clause, can't stand alone)
- Because I overslept, I missed the bus. — ✅ dependent + independent = complete sentence
- I missed the bus, and I was late. — ✅ two independent clauses joined by and
A clause is a unit built around a verb with a subject. Independent = can stand alone. Dependent = needs an independent clause to complete it.
Test: does the group of words have a subject + verb AND can it be a sentence on its own? Yes → independent clause. Has a subject + verb but feels incomplete → dependent clause.
Future tense
- ✅ I*'ll** help you.* — spontaneous decision (will)
- ✅ I*'m going to** study medicine.* — planned intention
- ✅ I*'m meeting** Sam at six.* — fixed arrangement (present continuous)
- ✅ The train leaves at 8. — scheduled event (present simple)
English has no single future tense — it uses will, be going to, present continuous, and present simple for different shades of future meaning. The choice signals whether you're predicting, planning, arranging, or stating a schedule.
Pattern: spontaneous → will. Planned → going to. Arranged → present continuous. Timetabled → present simple.
Indirect speech
- Direct: "I am tired." → Indirect: She said she was tired. (present → past)
- Direct: "I will come." → Indirect: He said he would come. (will → would)
- Direct: "I have finished." → Indirect: She said she had finished. (present perfect → past perfect)
- today → that day; here → there; tomorrow → the next day
Indirect speech reports someone's words without quotation marks. The mechanism: backshift tenses one step into the past, shift pronouns, and adjust time/place expressions.
Rule: if the reporting verb is past (said, told, asked), shift the reported tense back one step. If the reporting verb is present (says), no shift needed.
Infinitive
- ✅ I want to go. — to-infinitive after want
- ✅ She can swim. — bare infinitive after modal
- ✅ Let me help. — bare infinitive after let
- ❌ I enjoy to read. — wrong (enjoy takes gerund, not infinitive)
The infinitive has two forms: to-infinitive (to go) after verbs like want, decide, plan, hope; bare infinitive (go) after modals and causatives (let, make, help).
Rule: after want, need, decide, plan, hope, expect, agree, refuse → to-infinitive. After can, will, must, let, make → bare infinitive. After enjoy, avoid, finish → gerund, NOT infinitive.
Negation
- ✅ I don't see anything. — ❌ I don't see nothing. (double negative in standard English)
- ✅ She never goes out. — never already negates (no doesn't needed)
- ✅ He doesn't like coffee. — do-support for negation
- ✅ Nobody came. — negative subject (no auxiliary needed)
Negation uses not after an auxiliary/modal, or do-support when there's no auxiliary. One negative per clause in standard English — never, nobody, nothing already negate without adding not.
Rule: one negative element per clause. I don't see anything or I see nothing — never both together in standard English.
Pronoun
- ✅ between you and me — ❌ between you and I (objective case after preposition)
- ✅ its colour — ❌ it's colour (it's = it is)
- ✅ She did it herself. — reflexive pronoun
- ✅ The person who called… — relative pronoun
Pronouns replace nouns: personal (I/me/my), demonstrative (this/that), relative (who/which/that), interrogative (who?/what?), reflexive (myself), indefinite (everyone/nobody). They carry case that nouns have lost.
Trap: pronouns are where English case still matters: I vs me, who vs whom, its vs it's. Get these wrong and it's instantly noticeable.
Subject
- ✅ The list of items is wrong. — subject = list (singular), not items
- ❌ The list of items are wrong. — trapped by nearest noun
- ✅ Running is good exercise. — gerund as subject
- ✅ What he said surprised me. — clause as subject
The subject is the noun/pronoun/phrase before the verb that controls its number and person. Finding the true subject — especially through prepositional phrases — is the key to subject-verb agreement.
Rule: strip away prepositional phrases between subject and verb. Whatever's left is the true subject. The list (of items) is wrong.
Verb
- walk → walk / walks / walked / walked / walking (5 forms, regular)
- go → go / goes / went / gone / going (5 forms, irregular)
- be → am/is/are/was/were/be/being/been (8 forms)
- can → can / could (modal: only 2 forms, no -s, no -ing)
A verb is the one word class every English sentence requires. Carries tense (when), aspect (duration), mood (attitude), and voice (active/passive). Regular verbs add -ed; ~200 irregular verbs have unpredictable past forms.
Key insight: fix your verbs and most grammar problems disappear. Wrong tense, wrong agreement, wrong form — verb errors account for the majority of grammatical mistakes.
Passive voice
- ✅ The meal was cooked by the chef. — passive (action matters)
- ✅ Mistakes were made. — passive, agent hidden (evasive)
- ✅ Active: The chef cooked the meal. — stronger, clearer
- ❌ The report was being been written. — malformed passive
The passive = be + past participle. Object becomes subject. Use it when the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious. Avoid when it hides responsibility or weakens prose.
Formula: find the active object → make it the subject → use be (matching tense) + past participle → optionally add by + agent.
Perfect tense
- ✅ I have lived here for ten years. — present perfect (started past, still true)
- ❌ I live here for ten years. — wrong (simple present can't bridge past→now)
- ✅ She had finished before I arrived. — past perfect (earlier past)
- ✅ They will have left by noon. — future perfect (completed before future point)
The perfect = have + past participle. Connects an action to a reference point in time. Present perfect bridges past→now. Past perfect marks "earlier past." Future perfect marks "done before a future deadline."
Rule: if the action started in the past and is still relevant now → present perfect (have done). If two past events and you need the earlier one → past perfect (had done).
Progressive tense
- ✅ I am working in London. — temporary, happening now
- ✅ I work in London. — permanent/habitual (simple)
- ❌ I am knowing the answer. — stative verb, can't be progressive
- ✅ She was reading when I arrived. — past progressive (in progress at that moment)
The progressive = be + -ing. Marks actions as ongoing, temporary, or in-progress at a reference time. NOT used with stative verbs (know, believe, own, want, like) unless meaning shifts.
Rule: is the action temporary/in-progress right now? → progressive. Is it a permanent fact, habit, or schedule? → simple. Is it a stative verb? → almost never progressive.
B2 | Upper Intermediate
- ✅ If I had studied harder, I would have passed. — third conditional
- ✅ The report is being reviewed by the committee. — passive progressive
- ✅ Having finished the exam, she left. — participle clause
- ✅ He denied having taken the money. — complex verb pattern
These are B2 patterns — the CEFR upper-intermediate level. At B2 you handle mixed conditionals, all passive forms, participle clauses, and can argue a point clearly. This is the level most universities and employers require.
Marker: if you can write a structured essay and debate an abstract topic, you're B2.
Hard
- Had she not intervened, the situation would have escalated. — inverted conditional
- All distractors are grammatically plausible in other contexts
- Multiple rules interact (e.g., tense + aspect + modality)
- Context determines the answer — no single "rule" is enough
Hard marks upper-intermediate to advanced challenges: B2+, interacting rules, edge cases, plausible distractors, and contexts where pattern-matching fails.
Use "Hard" when Easy/Medium feel trivial and you want to test whether you actually understand a rule versus just recognising surface patterns.