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 clamed 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 clamed that prices have risen again. Prices are claimed to have risen again.

We use the passive + infinitive:

1. when the statement is speculative (the information is not confirmed)
Many investment banks are believed to have suffered losses in recent months.
3. with verbs such as:
SAY THINK ALLEGE CONSIDER BELIEVE REPORT RUMOUR SUPPOSE KNOW EXPECT UNDERSTAND

2. mainly in newspaper reporting

The Hungarian economy is expected to expand by 6% over the next two years.

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 the terrorists want a new ceasefire. The terrorists are believed to want a new ceasefire.

5.

6.

7.

8.

It is expected that the Hungarian economy will expand 6% over the next two years. The Hungarian economy is expected to expand 6% over the next two years. 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. 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. It is believed that the company will expand its range of services. The company is believed to expand its range of services.