What is the Impersonal Passive? The impersonal passive is used to report what people generally say, believe, think, or claim. It focuses on the action or opinion rather than who said it.
Common verbs used: say, think, believe, claim, report, know, consider, understand, expect | Structure | Example | |-----------|---------| | It + passive verb + that clause | It is said that the president will resign. | | Subject + passive verb + to-infinitive | The president is said to resign. | Forming the Impersonal Passive Active: People say that he speaks five languages. Passive 1 (It): It is said that he speaks five languages. Passive 2 (Subject): He is said to speak five languages. impersonal passive exercises