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Impersonal and Personal Passive

The document discusses impersonal and personal passive structures. Impersonal passive structures use "it" as the subject followed by a form of "to be" and a past participle verb, such as "it is believed." Personal passive structures use a personal pronoun as the subject followed by a form of "to be" and an infinitive verb, such as "she is believed to run." The document provides examples of how to transform sentences from impersonal to personal passive structures by changing the subject and verb form.

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965 views3 pages

Impersonal and Personal Passive

The document discusses impersonal and personal passive structures. Impersonal passive structures use "it" as the subject followed by a form of "to be" and a past participle verb, such as "it is believed." Personal passive structures use a personal pronoun as the subject followed by a form of "to be" and an infinitive verb, such as "she is believed to run." The document provides examples of how to transform sentences from impersonal to personal passive structures by changing the subject and verb form.

Uploaded by

Lupita Licea
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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IMPERSONAL AND PERSONAL PASSIVE

Study this example situation:

George 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 suggested suppose
COMPARE THESE TWO STRUCTURES

IMPERSONAL PASSIVE PERSONAL PASSIVE


Cathy loves running. (present) She is said to run ten miles a day.
It is said that she runs ten miles a day.
The police are looking for a missing boy. (present continuous) The boy is believed to be wearing a white sweater and blue
It is believed that the boy is wearing a white sweater and jeans.
blue jeans.
The strike started three weeks ago. (past) The strike is expected to end soon.
It is expected that the strike will end soon.
A friend of mine has been arrested. (present perfect) He is alleged to have hit a policeman.
It is alleged that he hit a policeman.
The two houses belong to the same family. (present) There is said to be a secret tunnel between them.
It is said that there is a secret tunnel between them.
These structures are often used in news reports. For example, in a report about an accident:
It is reported that two people were injured in the explossion. Two people are reported to have been injured in the
(past) explossion.

IMPERSONAL PASSIVE STRUCTURE


Pronoun VERB TO BE alleged believed + THE VERB OF THE MAIN CLAUSE
“it” +
considered expected + THAT RESPECTING THE TENSE.
known reported
thought understood
suggested
supposed”
IN PAST PARTICIPLE

PERSONAL PASSIVE STRUCTURE


Personal VERB TO BE alleged believed Present tense
considered expected + to + BARE INF. Of the verb of the MAIN CLAUSE
pronouns
known reported thought Present continuous
I/you/he/she/it
understood suggested + to + the verb of the main clause IN “ING”
We/you/they
supposed” Past/Present perfect/Past perfect/
Proper IN PAST PARTICIPLE + to + have + PP of the verb of the main clause
names Simple future
Angy/Peter.. + + to + BARE INF. Of the verb of the MAIN CLAUSE
(SAME AS PRESENT)

Write these sentences in another way, beginning as shown. Use the underlined word each time.
1 It is expected that the strike will end soon.
The strike is expectedto end soon
2 It is expected that the weather will be good tomorrow.
The weather is expected to be good tomorrow.......................................................................................................................................
3 It is believed that the thieves got in through a window in the roof.
The thieves were believed that got in through a window in the
roof………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4 It is reported that many people are homeless after the floods.
Many people are reported of being homeless after the floods
............................................................................................................................................
5 It is thought that the prisoner escaped by climbing over a wall.
The prisoner...is thought of being escaped by climbing over a wall...................................................
.......................................................................................
6 It is alleged that the man was driving at 110 miles an hour.
The man .alleged that he was driving at 110 miles an
hour...................................................................................................................................................
7 It is reported that the building has been badly damaged by the fire.
The building is reported of being badly damaged by the fire.
8 a It is said that the company is losing a lot of money.
The company...is said about losing a lot of money.........................................................................................................................................
b It is believed that the company lost a lot of money last year.
The company is believed of losing a lot of money last
year.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
c It is expected that the company will make a loss this year.
The company..is expected to make a loss this year......................................................................................... .................................................

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