This feature covers the Personal and Impersonal Passive , a structure typically used in formal reporting (news, academic papers, or official statements) to talk about what people "say," "think," or "believe". sarreplec.caib.es
Below is a concise guide followed by a set of exercises. You can copy this into a document and save it as a PDF for your study. Quick Grammar Guide When we want to change a sentence like "People believe that he is a genius" into the passive, we have two options: Impersonal Passive: Focuses on the "it" as a placeholder. It + Passive Verb (be + past participle) + that-clause. It is believed that he is a genius. Personal Passive: Focuses on the person/thing being talked about. Subject + Passive Verb + to-infinitive. He is believed to be learnenglish.britishcouncil.org Exercises: Personal & Impersonal Passive
Part A: Rewrite the sentences using the Impersonal Passive (It...) People say that the new law is unfair. They expect that the strike will end tomorrow. Experts think that the climate is changing rapidly. Reporters claim that the company is hiding the truth.
Part B: Rewrite the sentences using the Personal Passive (Subject + to...) People believe that she is the best candidate for the job. They report that the thieves stole over $1 million. Scientists consider the discovery to be a breakthrough. Everyone knows that he lives in a secret location. Part C: Mixed Transformation Active: People say that English is easy to learn. Impersonal: __________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Answer Key Part A (Impersonal) Part B (Personal) It is said that the new law is unfair. She is believed to be personal impersonal passive exercises pdf
In English grammar, the Passive Voice is typically introduced as a transformation where the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. However, advanced proficiency requires an understanding of the Impersonal Passive, a construction frequently used in journalism, academic writing, and formal reports.
This paper delineates the mechanics of both forms:
Used with verbs like say, think, believe, report, know, expect, claim, understand, etc. This feature covers the Personal and Impersonal Passive
Structure:
It + passive verb + that-clause
Example:
People say that he speaks 5 languages.
→ It is said that he speaks 5 languages. Impersonal Passive Used with verbs like say, think,
The Impersonal Passive is utilized when the agent is vague or irrelevant (e.g., "people," "everyone," "someone"). It functions to create objective distance. The subject is always the formal subject "It".
This structure often requires specific reporting verbs such as: alleged, believed, claimed, considered, expected, known, reported, said, thought, understood.