Reporting With Passives... It Was Said That

A. We often use a passive to report what people say, think, etc., particularly if it is not important to mention who is being reported:

1. People in the area have been told that they should stay indoors.
2. Everyone was asked to bring some food to the party.

B. Another common way of reporting what is said by an unspecified group of people is to use it + passive verb +that-clause. Using this pattern can allow us to put important information at the end of the sentence. 

1. It is reported that the damage is extensive. (compare The damage is extensive, according to government sources.)
2. It has been acknowledged that underfunding contributed to the problem. 
3. It can be seen that prices rose sharply in September. 

Other verbs that can be used in this pattern include:

Notice that many other verbs connected with reporting are not used in this pattern, including encourage, inform, persuade, reassure, remind, tell, warn, but can be used as in A:

1. We have been informed that we have to leave the building. (but not It has been informed us...)

These verbs need a personal object before the that-clause in an active form (e.g. They have informed us that...).

C. An alternative to it + passive verb + that-clause is to use subject + passive verb + to-infinitive if we want the subject to be the topic of the sentence.

Compare:

1. It is reported that the damage is extensive.
   and
2. The damage is reported to be extensive.
3. It has been acknowledged that underfunding contributed to the problem.
   and
   Underfunding has been acknowledged to have contributed to the problem.
   

Most of the verbs listed in the box in B can also be used in this pattern except for announce, decide, mention, propose, recommend, suggest.

We can only use tell in this pattern when it means 'order'. So we can say:

1. I was told =( ordered) to go with them to the railway station.
   but not The accident was told =( said) to have happened just after midnight'.

D. With the verbs discover, establish, explain, find, know, reveal, show, understand we can also use it + passive verb + wh-clause to report information given or found out: 

1. It has now been revealed who was responsible for the accident.
2. The decision to build the bridge was taken before it was established whether it was actually needed.

E. When a that-clause begins that + there..., we can make a corresponding passive form there + passive verb +to be/to have been.

Compare:

1. It is thought (that) there are too many obstacles to peace.
   and
2. There are thought to be too many obstacles to peace.
3. In 1981, it was believed (that) there were only two experts on the disease in the country.
   and
4. In 1981, there were believed to be only two experts on the disease in the country.

We can use the same verbs in this pattern as with subject + passive verb + to-infinitive. 

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

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