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Passive Voice. The Passive Structure is used when we want to talk about an action, but are not interested in saying who or what does / did it. Personal / Impersonal Passive. Passive Structures are often used in news reports.
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Passive Voice The Passive Structure is used when we want to talk about an action, but are not interested in saying who or what does / did it.
Personal / Impersonal Passive • Passive Structures are often used in news reports. • They are used to express thoughts, beliefs, considerations, expectations, suppositions. • What we want to express is made clear by the verbs we use: said, thought, believed, considered, reported, understood, expected, alleged, supposed, known.
How to form the Impersonal / Personal Passive • Look at the sentences: • People say that Harlem is a must-see destination. • It is said that Harlem is a must-see destination. • Harlem is said to be a must-see destination.
Impersonal / Personal Passive • The police alleged that he stole the car. • It was alleged that he stole the car. • He was alleged to have stolen the car. • People said that he sold drugs. • It was said that he sold drugs. • He was said to have sold drugs.
Impersonal / Personal Passive Exercises • People say that the Japanese work harder than anybody else. • People think that Chinatown is a lively neighbourhood. • People consider that the British are very polite. • Some thought that he took advantage of his political situation.
Impersonal / Personal Passive Key • It is said that the Japanese work harder than anybody else. • The Japanese are said to work harder than anybody else. • It is thought that Chinatown is a lively neighbourhood. • Chinatown is thought to be a lively neighbourhood. • It is considered that the British are very polite. • The British are considered to be very polite. • It was thought that he took advantage of his political situation. • He was thought to have taken advantage of his political situation.