Other Passive Structures – Reporting Opinions

When we report commonly held thoughts and opinions we often use the following passives structures:

It is thought (that)...

It is believed (that)…

It is said (that)…

It is reported (that)…

It is claimed (that)…

These structures distance the speaker from the opinion they are reporting.

Compare:

People say he is dishonest. It is believed he is dishonest.

Click on the following links to learn more about the Passive