C1 · Passive · 12 minReporting passives — present official claims at a distance.
Learn two formal reporting patterns for press, minutes, and official statements — free to try, with no signup.
- CEFR levelC1 · Advanced
- Time to completeAbout 12 minutes
- RegisterFormal · press · minutes
- Blocks10 blocks
01 / 07
What are passive reporting structures?
Passive reporting structures mark information as a report, expectation, or belief instead of presenting it directly as the writer's own claim. In a formal press, minutes, or official-statement register, you can write: "It is expected that the merger will close in Q3." Alternatively, place the reported topic first: "The merger is expected to close in Q3." Both sentences create distance from the source, but they organise the focus differently. That distance is not an invitation to evade responsibility: if a source is available and relevant, name it, for example with according to the market update. The grammar goal in this C1 lesson is specifically reporting. It teaches how to frame official statements clearly, rather than surveying every passive tense or treating infinitive forms as a separate family.
02 / 07
How does it is said that work?
It is said that impersonally introduces a complete reported claim. It does not point to a concrete thing here; it carries the formal reporting frame. A full clause follows that: "It is said that our competitor is insolvent." A different reporting verb can classify the information more precisely: "It is reported that the CEO will step down," "It is believed that the supplier is insolvent," or "It is expected that the merger will close in Q3." These versions are particularly common in press releases, meeting minutes, and official summaries. The running model is it is + reporting verb + that + clause. Keep the following clause complete, with its own subject and finite verb. If you want the reported person or thing at the beginning instead, switch to the second pattern and do not attach a direct that-clause after that subject.
03 / 07
How does X is believed to work?
The pattern X + is believed/expected/said/reported to + infinitive places the reported person or thing at the beginning. "The supplier is believed to be insolvent" centres the supplier, whereas "It is believed that the supplier is insolvent" impersonally frames the whole claim. For an expectation in formal minutes, write "The board is expected to confirm on Friday." For a press report, use "The CEO is reported to step down." The infinitive appears here specifically because it belongs to the named-subject reporting pattern. Learn a running sequence: the board is expected to confirm; the CEO is reported to step down; the supplier is believed to be insolvent. The minimal pair marks the boundary: "The company is said that it will expand" is not possible. Use "The company is said to be expanding" or switch to "It is said that the company will expand."
04 / 07
What is the difference between the two reporting patterns?
The main difference between the two reporting patterns is their starting point. "It is expected that the merger will close in Q3" begins with an impersonal frame and then presents the complete expectation. "The merger is expected to close in Q3" starts immediately with the topic. In a formal register, both can carry the same reported expectation, but the second is especially useful when the previous sentence already concerns the merger. In minutes, the first version can instead open a new reporting point. The same contrast appears between "It is reported that the CEO will step down" and "The CEO is reported to step down." Do not choose on the basis that one form is supposedly better. Follow the information flow: should reporting status appear first, or should the affected person or thing lead the sentence? Both remain official reporting devices and should be supported by a clear source when one is available.
05 / 07
Why does English should not replace German sollen here?
English should does not reliably replace German hearsay sollen because should commonly expresses advice, expectation, or evaluation in English. "The merger should close in Q3" can sound like a prediction or desired outcome; it does not clearly identify the claim as someone else's report. For the intended formal reporting status, "The merger is expected to close in Q3" is more precise. The contrast is even clearer in "Our competitor should be insolvent." If the intended meaning is reportedly or people say, use the reporting form "It is said that our competitor is insolvent." Avoid an automatic word-for-word mapping from sollen to should. Ask whether the sentence is expressing advice, a prediction, or hearsay. For the third purpose in this lesson, choose one of the two formal reporting-passive patterns and name the source where possible.
06 / 07
Which reporting verbs fit which kind of claim?
The verbs say, report, believe, expect, and rumour classify different kinds of reported information in a formal press or minutes register. Said stays general: "It is said that the competitor is insolvent." Reported points to a report: "The CEO is reported to step down." Believed marks a reported belief: "The supplier is believed to be insolvent." Expected expresses a reported expectation: "The board is expected to confirm on Friday." Rumoured identifies a rumour, as in "The company is rumoured to be preparing a sale." The choice should fit the source and must not smooth away uncertainty artificially. In a business report, a concrete introduction such as according to the board update is often more informative than a completely source-free passive. The reporting verb classifies the statement; the source reference makes it traceable. Together they produce responsible formal wording.
07 / 07
How do you use reporting passives responsibly at work?
Use reporting passives responsibly at work by making register, source, and degree of certainty visible together. In meeting minutes, "It is expected that the merger will close in Q3" can introduce a recorded expectation; where possible, add the update it came from. In a press summary, "The CEO is reported to step down" can place the affected person first, but it should not imply that the report is confirmed. A supplier note can use "The supplier is believed to be insolvent" when that is the documented status. The structure itself makes a statement neither true nor false; it signals only that the information is reported, believed, or expected. Do not use it to hide responsibility. Before sending, check whether the formal register fits, whether the reporting verb classifies the status accurately, and whether you can add a source. Then grammatical distance supports precision rather than evasion.