Impersonal passive reporting
News reports, academic writing and formal summaries often need to report what people believe, expect or say without making the writer sound like the source of the claim. English offers two passive patterns:
It is believed that the painting is genuine.
The painting is believed to be genuine.
The first begins with it + passive reporting verb + that-clause. The second makes the person or thing being discussed the subject: subject + passive reporting verb + infinitive. Common reporting verbs include say, believe, think, report, understand, expect, estimate, know and consider.
These forms change the focus, not the reliability of the claim. It is believed that the painting is genuine does not tell readers who believes it or what evidence supports the belief. If the source matters, name it: The museum’s conservators believe that the painting is genuine.
Choose the infinitive to show the time relationship
The infinitive form depends on when the reported event happens relative to the reporting or belief:
People say she works abroad.
She is said to work abroad.
People say she is working abroad this year.
She is said to be working abroad this year.
People say she worked abroad last year.
She is said to have worked abroad last year.
Use to have + past participle when the reported action happened earlier. If the subject received the action, use a passive infinitive:
People believe the files were destroyed.
The files are believed to have been destroyed.
The word chain may look long, but each piece has a job: are believed reports the claim now; to have been destroyed places a passive event earlier.
Reporting from a past viewpoint
If the belief or report itself belongs to the past, put the reporting verb into the past too:
The painting was believed to be genuine.
The files were reported to have been destroyed.
In the first sentence, the belief was held then; the painting’s authenticity is presented as simultaneous with that past belief. In the second, the destruction preceded the past report. The perfect infinitive keeps the sequence clear.
The impersonal it pattern can also carry a perfect or modal form: It has been reported that the talks will resume; It was expected that the price would fall. Again, choose forms for their time meaning rather than copying a fixed sentence template.
A useful rewrite—and its limits
Start with People expect the chair to resign. The subject-focused form is The chair is expected to resign. Start with People believe the documents were altered and write The documents are believed to have been altered.
However, not every verb accepts every pattern equally naturally, and the sentence can become awkward if the subject of the reported clause is not the main topic. The it construction is often smoother in that case: It is often claimed that working from home increases productivity. Prefer an active sentence with a named source when it is shorter, more transparent or more accountable.
A closer look at the subject-focused pattern
The subject-focused structure is especially useful when the person or thing being discussed should remain the topic across several sentences:
The treatment is thought to reduce symptoms. It is also believed to improve sleep.
The first sentence promotes the treatment to subject position. The infinitive then fills in what is claimed about it. If the claim concerns an action happening at the same time, use a simple or progressive infinitive: The researcher is believed to live abroad; She is believed to be working on a new study.
When the reported event is earlier, use the perfect infinitive:
The researcher is believed to have left the country.
The building is thought to have been damaged in the storm.
A past reporting verb locates the belief in the past: The researcher was believed to be abroad means that people held that belief then. She was believed to have been working overseas places the work before that past belief. These layers of time can feel complex; identify the reporting moment first, then ask when the reported event occurred.
When the it pattern is better
The it construction is useful when the claim itself matters more than its subject, or when the subject-focused version would be awkward:
It is often argued that the reform would increase access.
It was reported that the bridge had reopened.
It can also report a whole proposition with a modal or perfect form: It is expected that the talks will resume; It has been estimated that repairs will cost two million euros. Do not force a noun into subject position simply to avoid it.
Finally, the passive reporting frame can hide the source and make a statement sound established. In evidence-based writing, attribution is often stronger: The independent review estimates that repairs will cost two million euros. Use the impersonal form when the source is genuinely unknown, less important or already clear—not to disguise uncertainty.
Sources
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