Advanced Passive Structures

What You Will Learn

You'll move beyond basic passive voice to handle sophisticated passive structures that appear in academic writing, business communication, and professional contexts. Think less "The letter was written" and more "The project is said to have been completed ahead of schedule."

Explanation (with real-life context)

At C1/C2 level, you need to recognize and use several advanced passive patterns:

1. Passive with reporting verbs — These express information indirectly
- "It is believed that..."
- "The company is reported to have..."
- Used constantly in news, academic papers, and formal reports

2. Causative passives — When someone arranges for something to be done
- "We had the software updated by the IT team"
- "They got the contract reviewed by a lawyer"
- Common in business and personal narratives

3. Passives with phrasal verbs — Surprisingly tricky
- "The proposal was called off at the last minute"
- "The regulations are being looked into by the authorities"
- Real-world situations constantly throw these at you

4. Complex passive structures — Combining multiple elements
- "The issue is considered to have been overlooked"
- "The manuscript is believed to have been written by an unknown author"

Examples (natural sentences from daily life)

• Job interview context: "Our department is said to be undergoing significant restructuring." (More sophisticated than "People say our department is changing.")
• Email to boss: "Can the presentation be put together by Friday morning?"
• News headline: "The missing documents were discovered to have been filed incorrectly."
• Academic writing: "These findings are thought to challenge conventional wisdom."
• WhatsApp: "The meeting got postponed because the client wasn't available."

Common Mistakes

❌ "The problem is being solved by John and me." (Wrong pronoun in passive)
✅ "The problem is being solved by John and myself." (Reflexive pronoun emphasizes we're both solving it)

❌ "It is reported that the CEO resigned, but this hasn't confirmed yet."
✅ "It is reported that the CEO resigned, but this hasn't been confirmed yet."

❌ "We had the website redesigned." (Ambiguous — did you do it yourself?)
✅ "We had the website redesigned by a professional firm." (Clear causative)

Quick Tips

• Reporting verbs (believe, consider, know, say, report) often sound more sophisticated than direct statements in formal writing
• "Get" passives feel more conversational than "have" passives — choose based on tone
• Watch for passive with infinitives: "is thought to be," "is known to have," "is reported to have"
• In academic contexts, passive voice is often preferred because it sounds more objective