Impersonal structures: He is believed to… Practice Tests with B2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Impersonal Structures: He is believed to...

In English, we often need to report what people think, believe, say, or know — especially in formal writing, news reports, and academic contexts. Instead of saying who believes or says something, we use impersonal structures to keep the sentence neutral and objective.

Compare these two sentences:

"People believe he is dangerous."
"He is believed to be dangerous."

Both sentences have the same meaning, but the second one — the impersonal structure — sounds more formal and does not say who believes it. This is the structure we use in news articles, academic essays, and official reports.

In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use impersonal structures with he is believed to and similar patterns, including how to handle different tenses correctly.

What Are Impersonal Structures?

An impersonal structure is a sentence pattern where the grammatical subject does not perform the action — instead, the subject receives the report, belief, or claim. The real "actor" (people, experts, scientists, etc.) is removed or hidden.

There are two main impersonal patterns in English:

• Pattern 1: It + passive verb + that-clause
  → It is believed that he is dangerous.
• Pattern 2: Subject + passive verb + to-infinitive
  → He is believed to be dangerous.

Both patterns are correct and have the same meaning. This lesson focuses on Pattern 2 — the structure with a personal subject and a to-infinitive.

Common Reporting Verbs Used in Impersonal Structures

The following verbs are frequently used in these impersonal structures. They are all used in the passive voice:

Verb	Example (Pattern 2)
believe	She is believed to be hiding abroad.
say	He is said to be extremely wealthy.
think	They are thought to have left the country.
know	He is known to be unreliable.
report	She is reported to have stolen the documents.
consider	It is considered to be a masterpiece.
understand	He is understood to be unhappy with the decision.
allege	She is alleged to have committed fraud.
expect	The talks are expected to continue tomorrow.
claim	He is claimed to have discovered a new species.

Rule Breakdown: Forming the Impersonal Structure

The Basic Formula

Subject + is/are/was/were + past participle of reporting verb + to-infinitive

Let us look at a simple example step by step:

Active sentence: People say that he is honest.
Impersonal structure: He is said to be honest.

Here is how we build the impersonal structure:

• Take the object of the active sentence (he) and make it the subject.
• Use the correct form of to be (is, are, was, were).
• Add the past participle of the reporting verb (said, believed, thought, etc.).
• Add to + base form of the main verb (to be, to live, to work).

Tense Combinations: Present, Past, and Perfect Infinitives

The tense of the infinitive changes depending on when the reported action happens — at the same time as the reporting, or before it. This is one of the most important parts of impersonal structures.

1. Simple Infinitive (to be / to live / to work) — Same Time

Use the simple infinitive when the reported action happens at the same time as the reporting verb.

Formula: Subject + is/are + past participle + to + base verb

People believe that he lives in Paris.
→ He is believed to live in Paris.

Scientists think that the planet has water.
→ The planet is thought to have water.

2. Perfect Infinitive (to have + past participle) — Earlier Action

Use the perfect infinitive when the reported action happened before the reporting verb — in other words, when it is already in the past relative to the reporting.

Formula: Subject + is/are + past participle + to have + past participle

People say that he stole the money.
→ He is said to have stolen the money.

Experts believe that she discovered a cure.
→ She is believed to have discovered a cure.

3. Past Reporting Verb + Simple Infinitive — Past at Same Time

When the reporting verb is in the past tense and the reported action happens at the same time, use the simple infinitive.

Formula: Subject + was/were + past participle + to + base verb

People thought that he was innocent.
→ He was thought to be innocent.

They believed that she worked for the government.
→ She was believed to work for the government.

4. Past Reporting Verb + Perfect Infinitive — Even Earlier Action

When both the reporting and the reported action are in the past, and the reported action happened before the reporting, use the perfect infinitive.

Formula: Subject + was/were + past participle + to have + past participle

People said that he had escaped from prison.
→ He was said to have escaped from prison.

They believed that she had already left.
→ She was believed to have already left.

Summary Table: All Tense Combinations

Reporting Verb Tense	Infinitive Type	When Used	Example
Present (is / are)	Simple (to be / to live)	Action at same time as reporting	He is believed to be innocent.
Present (is / are)	Perfect (to have + past participle)	Action before the reporting	She is said to have escaped.
Past (was / were)	Simple (to be / to live)	Action at same time as reporting (in past)	He was thought to be guilty.
Past (was / were)	Perfect (to have + past participle)	Action before the past reporting	She was believed to have lied.

Pattern 1 vs Pattern 2: Both Are Correct

As mentioned above, there are two ways to form impersonal structures. It is important to be comfortable transforming between them.

Pattern 1 (It + passive + that-clause)	Pattern 2 (Subject + passive + to-infinitive)
It is believed that he is hiding.	He is believed to be hiding.
It is said that she stole the painting.	She is said to have stolen the painting.
It was thought that they had already left.	They were thought to have already left.
It is expected that the president will resign.	The president is expected to resign.
It is known that he lives in Rome.	He is known to live in Rome.

Note: Pattern 1 with It is always grammatically safe. Pattern 2 with a personal subject is very common in formal writing and journalism.

Important Differences and Special Cases

Using to be + -ing for Ongoing Actions

When the reported action is happening right now or was happening continuously, you can use to be + -ing (the continuous infinitive).

People believe that he is hiding somewhere in the city.
→ He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the city.

They say that the company is losing money.
→ The company is said to be losing money.

Negative Forms

To make the structure negative, add not before the infinitive:

Subject + is/are + past participle + not + to-infinitive

He is believed not to have known about the plan.
She is thought not to be involved in the crime.
They are said not to have received the message.

Using expect and consider

Some verbs like expect and consider follow the same pattern but are used with a slightly different meaning — they refer to predictions or judgements rather than reports:

The economy is expected to recover next year. (= people expect it to recover)
The film is considered to be a classic. (= people consider it a classic)

Why Do We Use Impersonal Structures?

Understanding why we use impersonal structures helps you use them correctly and naturally. Here are the main reasons:

• Formality: Impersonal structures are common in formal and academic English.
• Objectivity: They allow writers to report information without taking personal responsibility for it.
• Vagueness: When the source is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately not mentioned, impersonal structures are ideal.
• Journalism: News reports often use them to describe unconfirmed information without committing to its truth (He is alleged to have...).

Real-World Examples

Here are some examples from the kinds of texts where you will typically see impersonal structures:

News article:
The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous. He is said to have fled the scene shortly after midnight.

Academic essay:
Shakespeare is thought to have been born in April 1564. He is considered to be the greatest writer in the English language.

Official report:
The organisation is alleged to have misused public funds. Two directors are understood to have resigned following the investigation.

Science news:
The new virus is thought to have originated in animals. It is reported to be spreading rapidly across several regions.

Common Mistakes

❌ He is believed that he is honest.
✅ He is believed to be honest. (Use to + infinitive after the subject — not a that-clause.)

❌ She is said to steal the money.
✅ She is said to have stolen the money. (The theft happened before the report, so use the perfect infinitive.)

❌ It is believed he escaped.
✅ It is believed that he escaped. (Pattern 1 requires that before the clause.)

❌ He is thought to have escape.
✅ He is thought to have escaped. (Use the past participle after to have, not the base form.)

❌ They was believed to be hiding.
✅ They were believed to be hiding. (They is plural, so use were, not was.)

❌ The company is expected recover soon.
✅ The company is expected to recover soon. (Always include to before the infinitive.)

❌ She is alleged stealing the documents.
✅ She is alleged to have stolen the documents. (Use the perfect infinitive, not the -ing form directly after the passive verb.)

Impersonal Structures: Quick Summary

Here is a clear overview of everything you have learned in this lesson:

• Impersonal structures are used to report beliefs, claims, and information in a formal, objective way.
• There are two main patterns: It is believed that... and He is believed to...
• The verb after the passive reporting verb is always a to-infinitive.
• Use the simple infinitive (to be / to live) when the reported action happens at the same time as the reporting.
• Use the perfect infinitive (to have + past participle) when the reported action happened before the reporting.
• Use the continuous infinitive (to be + -ing) for actions that are ongoing at the time of reporting.
• The most common reporting verbs are: believe, say, think, know, report, expect, consider, allege, understand, claim.
• To make the structure negative, place not before the infinitive: He is believed not to have known.

Now practise impersonal structures with he is believed to in the exercises below.