Grammar: Passive voice for description

Read the Rules:

Henry is very old. Nobody knows exactly how old he is, but:

·       It is said that he is 108 years old.

·       or He is said to be 108 years old.

Both these sentences mean: "People say that he is 108 years old."

You can use these structures with a number of other verbs, especially: alleged, believed, considered, expected, known, reported, thought, understood

Compare the two structures:

·       Cathy works very hard. - It is said that she works 16 hours a day./ She is said to work 16 hours a day.

·       The police are looking for a missing boy. - It is believed that the boy is wearing a white pullover and blue jeans. / The boy is believed to be wearing a white pullover and blue jeans.

·       The strike started three weeks ago. - It is expected that it will end soon. / The strike is expected to end soon.

·       A friend of mine has been arrested. - It is alleged that he hit a policeman. / He is alleged to have hit a policeman.

·       The two houses belong to the same family. - It is said that there is a secret tunnel between them. / There is said to be a secret tunnel between them.

These structures are often used in news reports, descriptions, analysis. For example, in a report about an accident: It is reported that two people were injured in the explosion. / Two people are reported to have been injured in the explosion.