Advanced Passive & Impersonal Constructions (C1/C2)
📌 Lesson contents
🎯 Lesson goal (C1/C2)
At C1 and C2 level (Cambridge Proficiency), the passive is not just a way to flip the subject. It is the main tool for a **formal register and academic impersonality**. You will learn to report statements and doubts with reporting verbs (allege, assume, believe, claim, consider, estimate, report, rumour, understand), handling compound and continuous infinitives accurately. 🚀
📢 1. Passive with Reporting Verbs
When we report opinions, news or general assumptions, English uses two different passive structures:
| Structure | Structure | C1/C2 Example |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonal (Impersonal Passive) | It + Passive verb + that + full clause | It is reported that the company is facing bankruptcy. |
| Personal (Personal Passive) | Subject + Passive verb + to-infinitive | The company is reported to be facing bankruptcy. |
Types of Infinitive in the Personal Structure
- Present Infinitive (to do): Same time as the reporting verb in the present.
“He is believed to live in Paris.” (People believe he lives in Paris now.) - Continuous Infinitive (to be doing): Action in progress at the time of reporting.
“She is understood to be writing a new novel.” (People understand she is writing one now.) - Perfect Infinitive (to have done): Action that happened before the reporting verb.
“The suspect is alleged to have left the country.” (People say he left earlier.) - Passive Perfect Infinitive (to have been done): Something that was done to the subject in the past, before the reporting.
“The documents are thought to have been destroyed.” (People think the documents were destroyed.)
⚙️ 2. How to Build Them: Step-by-Step Guide
To change an active sentence into an advanced **Personal Passive Construction** in transformation tests (Use of English Part 4), follow this procedure:
- Step 1: Identify the subject of the subordinate clause.
Starting active sentence: “People believe that the CEO embezzled the funds.” - Step 2: Move that subject to the start of the new sentence.
Sentence start: “The CEO…” - Step 3: Put the reporting verb in the passive.
Keep the same tense as the main sentence (e.g. believe ➔ is believed).
Development: “The CEO is believed…” - Step 4: Decide the time relationship and choose the correct infinitive.
Ask yourself: did the subordinate action (embezzled) happen before or at the same time as believe?
Because embezzled is in the past (earlier), use the Perfect Infinitive (to have embezzled).
Final result: “The CEO is believed to have embezzled the funds.“
🌟 3. Passive Infinitives, Gerunds and Causatives
Other high-impact passive structures for C1/C2 level:
| Structure | Use / Meaning | C1/C2 Example |
|---|---|---|
| Passive Gerund | being + past participle | He expressed resentment at being passed over for promotion. |
| Perfect Passive Gerund | having been + past participle | She denies having been informed about the changes. |
| Formal Causative (Have / Get) | have / get + object + past participle | The firm had its account audited by an independent team. |
| Passive Modal Continuous | modal + be + being + past participle | The building must be being monitored right now. |
🚫 Common Mistakes in C1/C2 Tests
| Frequent Mistake ❌ | Correct Form ✅ |
|---|---|
| He is said to have went abroad. | He is said to have gone abroad. (The perfect infinitive needs the past participle of the main verb!) |
| It is thought him to be rich. | He is thought to be rich. / It is thought that he is rich. (Don’t mix the impersonal structure with object pronouns!) |
| The suspect is believed that he escaped. | The suspect is believed to have escaped. (If you start with the subject of the subordinate clause, you must use the infinitive, not “that”.) |
1. Gap Fill & Transformation Test (15 Questions)
Complete the passive transformations or write the correct form of the passive infinitive/gerund.
2. Extra: Sentence Builder 🧩
Tap the words to move them and rebuild perfect passive and impersonal constructions!