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This lesson is about impersonal passive structure used in formal acdemic writing. If you want to learn Active Voice and Passive Voice in details, click here!

To be updated later.

Impersonal Passive

📘 Impersonal Passive Construction – Detailed Explanation

🔍 What is it?

An impersonal passive construction is used when the agent (doer) is unknown, unimportant, or intentionally omitted to focus on the action or subject. This is especially common in academic writing, news reporting, and research discussions for neutrality and objectivity.

✅ Why use it?

Purpose Explanation
Formality Avoids personal opinions or blaming.
Objectivity Keeps the focus on facts, not the people involved.
Common in academia Frequently used in research papers, reviews, and formal reports.

🔧 Structure A – “It is said that…”

Pattern:
People + verb + that + clause → It + passive verb + that + clause

Active Sentence Impersonal Passive
People say that global warming is dangerous. It is said that global warming is dangerous.
Experts believe that the drug is effective. It is believed that the drug is effective.
Many think that he cheated in the exam. It is thought that he cheated in the exam.

🔧 Structure B – “Subject + is said to…”

Pattern:
People + verb + that + subject + verb → Subject + passive verb + to-infinitive

Active Sentence Personal Passive
People say that she speaks five languages. She is said to speak five languages.
People believe that he has retired. He is believed to have retired.
They report that the bridge collapsed. The bridge is reported to have collapsed.

⏱ Verb Tense Conversions:

Active Verb Tense Passive Form
Present Simple (e.g., is) to + base verb (e.g., to be)
Past Simple (e.g., was) to have + V3 (e.g., to have been)
Present Perfect (e.g., has gone) to have + V3 (e.g., to have gone)

📚 Verbs Glossary (with Academic Examples)

Verb Meaning Academic Example Sentence
say to express something in words It is said that the new policy will benefit the public sector.
think to believe or consider It is thought that stress contributes to heart disease.
believe to accept something as true She is believed to have published the findings in 2010.
know to be aware of facts It is known that vitamin D plays a role in bone health.
expect to predict or assume will happen The project is expected to finish by December.
report to provide information about something observed or discovered The virus is reported to have spread rapidly.
claim to assert something without proof It is claimed that the new treatment has no side effects.
assume to accept something as true without proof It is assumed that the participants understood the instructions.
observe to notice or detect It is observed that older adults prefer face-to-face communication.
estimate to make a rough calculation It is estimated that over 2 million people were affected.

🧠 Tip: Use impersonal passive constructions in research papers, literature reviews, and discussion sections to maintain a formal tone and avoid overusing “I think…” or “They believe…”

Impersonal Passive Exercise

🔁 Impersonal Passive Transformation – Set 1 (All 20)

✍️ Change the sentences into the impersonal passive, beginning with ‘It’.

  1. 1. Scientists say that the earth's temperature is rising rapidly due to human activities.
  2. 2. Many people believe that bilingual children perform better in cognitive tasks.
  3. 3. Researchers claim that this medicine reduces the risk of heart disease.
  4. 4. Experts suggest that students should sleep at least eight hours every night.
  5. 5. Historians believe that the castle was built in the 14th century.
  6. 6. Doctors think that regular exercise improves mental health.
  7. 7. Some scholars argue that online learning can be just as effective as classroom teaching.
  8. 8. Economists predict that the global economy will recover by the end of the year.
  9. 9. It is said that whales use songs to communicate across long distances.
  10. 10. Many people thought that the pyramids were built by aliens.
  11. 11. Analysts report that inflation has slowed down in the last quarter.
  12. 12. Teachers believe that using real-world examples helps students understand better.
  13. 13. Some researchers think that climate change is affecting wildlife migration patterns.
  14. 14. People say that the book contains valuable information about ancient civilizations.
  15. 15. Experts claim that the virus originated in wild animals.
  16. 16. They believed that the patient had been cured completely.
  17. 17. Sociologists suggest that social media affects teenagers’ self-esteem.
  18. 18. Some critics thought that the movie was too long and difficult to follow.
  19. 19. They expect that the new policy will improve public transportation.
  20. 20. Biologists say that some species of frogs are disappearing rapidly.