Passive + infinitive

Sample sentences:

1. He is said to know some very influential

people.
2. Our manager is believed to be leaving
the company.
3. The company is claimed to have lost a
great deal on the project.
 Form:

It is said that he is a very rich man.

He is said to be a very rich man.

passive + infinitive
 Form:

It is said that inflation is rising.

Inflation is said to be rising.

passive + infinitive
 Form:

It is said that the company lost a lot of money.

The company is said to have lost a lot of money .

passive + infinitive
 Infinitives
1. To refer to the present or future we use present
simple infinitive.
• It is believed that he is a good manager.
• He is believed to be a good manager.

2. To refer to an activity in progress at the moment

of speaking we use present continuous infinitive.
• It is rumoured that inflation is increasing.
• Inflation is rumoured to be increasing.

3. To refer to the past we use perfect infinitive.

• It is said that they suffered huge losses last year.
• They are said to have suffered huge losses last year.
 Present simple infinitive
1. It is claimed that he is the richest man in
Serbia.
• He is claimed to be the richest man in
Serbia.

2. It is expected that the company will move

its premises to London next year.
• The company is expected to move its
premises to London next year.
 Present continuous infinitive
1. It is expected that they are planning a
major new investment.
• They are expected to be planning a
major new investment.

2. It is believed that our manager will be

staying in Paris for five days.
• Our manager is believed to be staying
in Paris for five days.
 Perfect infinitive
1. It is thought that he made a lot of money
last year.
• He is thought to have made a lot of
money last year.

2. It is claimed that prices have risen again.

• Prices are claimed to have risen again.
 We use the passive + infinitive:
3. with verbs
1. when the statement is speculative such as:
(the information is not confirmed)
Many investment banks are believed SAY
to have suffered losses in recent months. THINK
ALLEGE
CONSIDER
BELIEVE
REPORT
2. mainly in newspaper reporting RUMOUR
SUPPOSE
The Hungarian economy is expected to KNOW
expand by 6% over the next two years. EXPECT
UNDERSTAND
1. It is said that the minister is in favour of decreasing
corporation tax.
 The minister is said to be in favour of decreasing
corporation tax.
2. It is thought that the board has made the decision.
 The board is thought to have made the decision.
3. It is considered that he is the best chairman the
company has ever had.
 He is considered to be the best chairman the
company has ever had.
4. It is believed that English is the most widely spoken
language.
 English is believed to be the most widely spoken
language.
5. It is known that Mr. Brown is stealing iron from the factory.
 Mr. Brown is known to be stealing iron from the factory.
6. It is thought that many investment banks have suffered
losses in the “junk bond” market.
 Many investment banks are thought to have suffered
losses in the “junk bond” market.
7. It is known that Ericsson is looking at the possibility of
outsourcing its low price phones in Taiwan.
 Ericsson is known to be looking at the possibility of
outsourcing its low price phones in Taiwan.
8. It is believed that the company will expand its range of
services.
 The company is believed to expand its range of services.
1. People consider that the team will be classified for the final.
 It is considered that the team will be classified for the final.
 The team is considered to be classified for the final.
2. Everybody says that he settled the business.
 It is said that he settled the business.
 He is said to have settled the business.
3. They have thought the sportsmen are arriving today.
 It has been thought the sportsmen are arriving today.
 The sportsmen have been thought to be arriving today.
4. Citizens presume that the government is responsible for the
accident.
 It is presumed that the government is responsible for the accident.
 The government is presumed to be responsible for the accident.
5. The shareholders thought that the group had rejected the offer.
 It was thought that the group had rejected the offer.
 The group was thought to have rejected the offer.
6. They say that the meeting will be held here.
 It is said that the meeting will be held here.
 The meeting is said to be held here.
Read the article about Manchester United, then complete it
with the verbs in the brackets. Put the first verb in the present
simple passive (to be done) and the second verb in a suitable
form of the infinitive (to do, to be doing, or to have done).

Manchester United: just a game of football?

IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE
Manchester United (1) _______________
(suppose/have) between 10 million and 30
million supporters throughout the world. In
Norway, for example, one in every 140 people (2)
_______________
IS SAID TO BE (say/be) a registered
supporter. Ticket sales and merchandising
contribute over half of the club’s revenue, with
television contributing a further 20%.
 ARE KNOWN TO BE LOOKING AT
But senior executives (3) _____________________
(know/look at) other ways to generate income at the
moment. For example, the club (4)
IS BELIEVED TO BE
_________________ DEVELOPING
(believe/develop) e-commerce
initiatives through a series of alliances. Costs at the
club continue to increase. A few years ago the club
(5) ________________
IS REPORTED TO(report/spend)
HAVE SPENT £30m on a
plan to expand the capacity of the stadium from
55,000 seats to 67,400 seats. But this (6)
_______________
IS THOUGHT TO BE (think/be) a good investment as
it will generate nearly £7.5 million in additional
turnover annually.
The main costs at the club are the salaries of
the players. A couple of years ago the team’s
captain (7) _______________
IS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE NEGOTIATED
(understand/negotiate) a four-year contract
worth over eight figures.