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 a very rich man.

is said

he

He

is

to be

passive + infinitive

a very rich man.

Form:

It is said that

is said

inflation is rising.

to be rising.Inflation

passive + infinitive

Form:

It is said that a lot of money.

is said .

the company lost

to have lostThe company

passive + infinitive

a lot of money

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 sufferedto have suffered huge losses last year.

Infinitives

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 simple infinitive

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 such as:

SAYTHINKALLEGECONSIDERBELIEVEREPORTRUMOURSUPPOSEKNOWEXPECTUNDERSTAND

2. mainly in newspaper reporting

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

1. when the statement is speculative (the information is not confirmed)Many investment banks are believedto have suffered losses in recent months.

1. It is said that the minister is in favour of decreasing corporation tax.

The minister is said to beis 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 madeis 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 beis 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 beis 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 stealingis 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 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 atis 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 expandis 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?

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) _______________ (say/be) a registered supporter. Ticket sales and merchandising contribute over half of the club’s revenue, with television contributing a further 20%.

IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE

IS SAID TO BE

But senior executives (3) _____________________ (know/look at) other ways to generate income at the moment. For example, the club (4) _________________ (believe/develop) e-commerce initiatives through a series of alliances. Costs at the club continue to increase. A few years ago the club (5) ________________ (report/spend) £30m on a plan to expand the capacity of the stadium from 55,000 seats to 67,400 seats. But this (6) _______________ (think/be) a good investment as it will generate nearly £7.5 million in additional turnover annually.

ARE KNOWN TO BE LOOKING AT

IS BELIEVED TO BE DEVELOPING

IS REPORTED TO HAVE SPENT

IS THOUGHT TO BE

The main costs at the club are the salaries of the players. A couple of years ago the team’s captain (7) _______________ (understand/negotiate) a four-year contract worth over eight figures.

IS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE NEGOTIATED