Advanced passive

Rules

• Rule 1: It is said / believed / thought that …

  To report what people generally say, think or know, use It + be + V3 + that …. Common verbs: say, believe, think, know, expect, report. For the past: It was …

  Pattern: It + is / was + said / believed / thought + that + clause

  Example: It is believed that octopuses can recognize faces.

  Example: It was thought that the planet had no water.

• Rule 2: Subject + is said + to + verb

  We can say the same thing more briefly: make the person or thing the subject and add is said / believed / known + to + verb. For an action in progress: to be + -ing.

  Pattern: subject + is / are + said / believed / known + to + verb

  Example: This forest is said to be full of rare birds.

  Example: Camels are known to survive for weeks without water.

• Rule 3: to have + V3 for the past

  If the event happened earlier, use to have + V3 instead of to + verb. For a passive past event, use to have been + V3.

  Pattern: subject + is said + to have + V3 · to have been + V3

  Example: The explorer is said to have crossed the desert alone.

  Example: This vase is believed to have been made in China.

• Rule 4: have / get something done

  When someone else does a job for us, use have + object + V3. In speech, get works too. It can also describe something unwanted that happened to us: *We had our flight canceled.*

  Pattern: have / get + object + V3

  Example: We are having our windows replaced next week.

  Example: Did you get your bike repaired?

Common mistakes

• It says that the castle is 800 years old. → It is said that the castle is 800 years old.

  General information with no named source → passive: is said.

• The bridge is said to build in 1850. → The bridge is said to have been built in 1850.

  The bridge was built (passive) in the past → to have been + V3.

• I cut my hair at the salon. → I had my hair cut at the salon.

  The hairdresser did it → have + object + V3.