Advanced Passive Voice: Reporting Verbs
Advanced Passive Voice: Reporting Verbs In advanced English , we often use the passive voice to report thoughts, beliefs, or rumors without attributing them to a specific person. This is common in academic writing , journalism, and even historical accounts. 1. The Two Advanced Structures When using verbs like believe , claim, consider, expect, know, report, say, or think , there are two ways to form the passive: A. The Impersonal "It" Construction This is the more straightforward way to distance the writer from the claim. Formula: It + Passive Reporting Verb + that + Clause Example: " It is claimed that the ancient Library of Alexandria held over 400,000 scrolls." B. The Subject + Passive Infinitive Construction This is considered more "elegant" and is frequently tested in advanced proficiency exams (C1/C2). Formula: Subject + Passive Reporting Verb + to-infiniti...
