Сегодня мы рассмотрим конструкцию страдательного залога «it is said that», правило её употребления и образования. Подробнее о страдательном залоге вы можете прочитать в предыдущей теме.
Знакомство с конструкцией «It is said that…» начнем с примера.
It is said
that he has three dogs.
He is said
to have three dogs.
(Говорят у него три собаки)
Оба предложения передают одну мысль.
При передаче каких-либо фактов или новостей, мы не всегда являемся очевидцами или первоисточниками информации. В таком случае, мы выражаем мысль с помощью следующего предложения – «говорят, что…».
Чтобы передать подобную мысль в английском языке, мы используем конструкцию – It is said that…
Также есть немного другой вариант передачи такой информации. Смысл при этом остается неизменным.
Подлежащее + be + said + инфинитив.
Форма глагола «be» зависит от числа и лица подлежащего.
Обе конструкции мы уже рассмотрели в первом примере.
Вместо глагола said могут быть использованы и другие глаголы. К наиболее распространенным относятся.
- Know (known) –известно
- Allege (alleged) – утверждают
- Believe (believed) – верят, полагают
- Consider (considered) – рассматривают, думают, полагают
- Expect (expected) – ожидают
- Report (reported) — докладывают
- Think (thought) – думают, считают
- Understand (understood) – понимают
Примеры
- It is known that this company produces milk / this company is known to produce milk. (Известно, что эта компания производит молоко);
- It is alleged that he has four children / he is alleged to have four children. (Утверждают, что у него четверо детей / У него якобы четверо детей);
- It’s reported that the game is canceled / The game is said to be canceled. (Говорят, что игру отменили).
Данные конструкции могут передавать также продолжительное или будущее время. Обратите внимание, как при этом образуются предложения.
Примеры
It’s believed that the summer will be very hot this year / The summer is believed to be very hot. (Полагают, что лето в этом году будет очень жарким);
It’s expected that she is going to quit her job / She is expected to be going to quit her job. (Ожидается, что она бросит работу).
It’s thought that the company is losing a lot of money / The company is thought to be losing a lot of money. (Считают, что компания теряет слишком много денег).
It is said that, правило для прошедшего времени
Если необходимо передать события, которые произошли в прошлом, мы используем «to have + глагол в третьей форме».
- It is alleged that he stole the money / He is alleged to have stolen the money. (Утверждают, что он украл деньги);
- It’s said that the fire started around 2 a.m. / The fire is said to have started around 2 a.m. (Говорят пожар начался около 2 часов ночи).
Supposed to
Конструкция supposed to имеет два значения.
Supposed to имеет то же значение, что и it is said.
- Everybody is talking about that film. It’s supposed to be really good. (Все говорят об этом фильме. Говорят, он очень хороший);
- He is supposed to own a lot of businesses around the world. (Говорят у него бизнес по всему миру).
С помощью конструкции supposed to мы можем выразить наши ожидания. Эквивалентом в русском языке могут служить такие выражения, как «должен», ожидается что…». При этом описываемое действие, как правило, отлично от реальной ситуации.
Для понимания, давайте рассмотрим пример.
Вчера вы слушали прогноз погоды, по которому обещали солнечную погоду. Сегодня, выглянув в окно, вы увидели, что идет дождь. Вы говорите:
It’s supposed to be sunny today. (Сегодня должно быть солнечно).
Примеры
- What are you doing so early in the morning? You’re supposed to be in bed. (Ты что делаешь так рано утром? Ты же еще должен спать);
- I shouldn’t be eating this cake. I’m supposed to be on a diet. But it’s so tasty. (Я не должна есть этот торт. Я вообще-то на диете. Но он такой вкусный);
- I’m sorry for what I said. It was supposed to be a joke. (Я извиняюсь за то, что я сказал. Это должно было быть шуткой).
Not supposed to
Мы используем конструкцию not supposed to, чтобы передать ограничения или запрет делать что-либо. В данном случае not supposed to схоже с модальным глаголом must. Однако, must носит более сильный оттенок запрета.
- I’m not supposed to call Jim after noon. He’s not available at this time anyway. (Я не должен звонить Джиму после полудня. Хотя он все равно не доступен в это время);
- You are not supposed to do any hard work after your illness. (После болезни тебе не следует делать никакую тяжелую работу).
It is said that — тест на закрепление
A
Изучите следующую ситуацию:
Вы хотите сообщить кому-нибудь о том, что сказал Пол. Есть два способа это сделать:
Вы можете повторить слова Пола (direct speech — прямая речь):
Paul said, ‘I’m feeling ill.’
Или вы можете использовать reported speech — косвенную (непрямую) речь:
Paul said that he was feeling ill.
Сравните?
| прямая |  |
| косвенная |
B
В косвенной речи основной глагол (Paul said that … / I told her that … и др.) и остальная часть предложения обычно находятся в прошедшем времени:
- Paul said that he was feeling ill.
Пол сказал, что он плохо себя чувствовал. - I told Lisa that I didn’t have any money.
Я сказал Лизе, что у меня не было денег.
That можно и не использовать, т.е. вы можете сказать:
- Paul said that he was feeling ill. или Paul said he was feeling ill.
Как правило, форма настоящего времени в прямой речи изменяется на форму прошедшего времени в косвенной речи:
am/is → was
are → were
do/does → did
have/has → had
will → would
can → could
want/like/know/go etc. → wanted/liked/knew/went etc.
Сравните прямую и косвенную речь:
Вы встретили Дженни. Вот кое-что из того, что она сказала в прямой речи:
Позже вы сообщаете кому-то о том, что сказала Дженни, используя косвенную речь:
‘My parents are very well.’
Jenny said that her parents were very well.
‘I’m going to learn to drive.’
She said that she was going to learn to drive.
‘I want to buy a car.’
She said that she wanted to buy a car.
‘John has a new job.’
She said that John had a new job.
‘I can’t come to the party on Friday.’
She said that she couldn’t come to the party on Friday.
‘I don’t have much free time.’
She said she didn’t have much free time.
I’m going away for a few days. I’ll phone you when I get back.’
She said that she was going away for a few days and would phone me when she got back.
C
The past simple (did/saw/knew и т.д.) обычно может оставаться таким же и в косвенной речи, или вы можете изменить его на the past perfect (had done / had seen / had known и т.д.):
direct
Paul said: ‘I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to work.’
reported
Paul said (that) he woke up feeling ill, so he didn’t go to work. или
Paul said (that) he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn’t gone to work.
Упражнения
1. Вчера вы встретили своего друга, Стива. Вы давно его не видели. Вот кое-что из того, что Стива вам сказал:
1. I’m living in London.
2. My father isn’t very well.
3. Rachel and Mark are getting married next month.
4. My sister has had a baby.
5. I don’t know what Frank is doing.
6. I saw Helen at a party in June and she seemed fine.
7. I haven’t seen Diane recently.
8. I’m not enjoying my job very much.
9. You can come and stay at my place if you’re ever in London.
10. My car was stolen a few days ago.
11. I want to go on holiday, but I can’t afford it.
12. I’ll tell Chris I saw you.
Позже этим днем вы сообщаете другому другу то, что вам сказал Стив. Используйте косвенную речь.
2. Сейчас вам говорят одно, в то же время еще недавно вам говорили об этом совсем противоположные вещи. Закончите ответы.
- A: That restaurant is expensive.
B: Is it? I thought you said - A: Sue is coming to the party tonight.
B: Is she? I thought you said she - A: Sarah likes Paul.
B: Does she? Last week you said - A: I know lots of people.
B: Do you? I thought you said - A: Jane will be here next week.
B: Will she? But didn’t you say - A: I’m going out this evening.
B: Are you? But you said - A: I can speak a little French.
B: Can you? But earlier you said - A: I haven’t been to the cinema for ages.
B: Haven’t you? I thought you said
In informal language we often use impersonal expressions like:
- People say that the minister is likely to resign.
- They expect him to announce his resignation this week.
- They think that there are two possible candidates for his job.
In newspapers, reports and other more formal writing, this idea is often expressed with a structure based on a passive reporting verb. This has the effect of distancing the information. In this post we look at three such structures:
- It is said that the minister is likely to resign.
- He is expected to announce his resignation this week.
- There are thought to be two possible candidates for his job.
To do these exercises you need to know the basics of making passive structures. If you need reminding, you could look at my post — Introduction to the passive
1. It is said that …
- It is said that …
- It was thought that …
- It has been suggested that … etc
Verbs used like this include: agree, announce, believe, calculate, claim, consider, discover, estimate, expect, feel, hope, know, report, say, show, suggest, think, understand
- Pattern: It + passive reporting verb + that + clause
Note: These verbs are most frequently used in simple and perfect tenses in the present and past. Remember that verbs like believe, hope, know, think, understand are not used in continuous tenses.
| Exercise 1 | Rewrite the sentences starting with It plus a passive structure. pay attention to tense, but don’t add any punctuation. Don’t use any contractions. |
| 1. | They felt that the cost was too high. . |
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| 2. | Forecasters have predicted that the weekend will be very cold. . |
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| 3. | They don’t think that the government will call an early election. . |
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| 4. | Experts are suggesting that inflation will remain steady. . |
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| 5. | We had understood that the hostages would be released yesterday. . |
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| 6. | Officials have announced that the princess will leave hospital next week. . |
Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
2. He is said to be …
We can also use a structure with a subject, a passive verb and a to-infinitive:
- The president is thought to be planning a trip to the area.
- The young actor was reported to have signed up for a new film.
- More engineers are expected to be taken on soon.
Verbs used like this include: believe, expect, report, say, think, understand
- Pattern: subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive clause
Infinitive forms
We can use the to-infinitive in various forms. See if you can remember them (use the examples above to help you):
| Exercise 2a | Enter the six forms of the to-infinitive of the verb do. |
| standard | We need it immediately. | |
| continuous | She appears it right now. | |
| perfect | He seems it already. | |
| perfect continuous | We seem it for hours. | |
| passive | It needs before the end of the week. | |
| passive perfect | It appears rather well. | |
Note: Perfect infinitives are used for actions that happened before the reporting.
| Exercise 2b | Enter a suitable verb in the appropriate form of the infinitive. Each infinitive is in a different form. |
announce ·
publish ·
consider ·
arrest ·
hide ·
escape
| 1. | The minister is expected his resignation tomorrow. | |
| 2. | The government are understood an early election. | |
| 3. | They are thought in a deserted cottage. | |
| 4. | The couple had earlier been believed from police custody. | |
| 5. | The results of the survey are expected next week. | |
| 6. | Two people are reported in connection with the robbery. | |
Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
3. There is/are said to be …
We can use a third pattern with preparatory there and a passive reporting verb followed by a to-infinitive, especially when saying something exists or existed.
- There is understood to be a strong desire for peace talks.
- There are reported to have been several explosions.
- There was thought to be another entrance to the building.
- There were said to have been a lot of applicants for the job.
Note the use of tenses, the agreement between the passive reporting verb and the noun phrase, and the use of standard and perfect infinitives.
- Pattern: There is/are + passive verb + to be/to have been + noun phrase
Verbs used like this include: feel, presume, report, say, think, understand
| Exercise 3 | Make passive sentences starting with There is … or There are … using the reporting verb in brackets in the tense given, plus a standard or perfect infinitive of be as instructed, plus the phrase given. |
| 1. | many species still undiscovered (think — present simple) — standard . |
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| 2. | considerable support for the idea (understand — present simple) — standard . |
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| 3. | any need to act immediately (not feel — past simple) — standard . |
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| 4. | enough supplies to go round (presume — past simple) — standard . |
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| 5. | a shortage of medicines (report — past simple) — perfect . |
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| 6. | several reasons for the failure (say — present simple) — perfect . |
Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
4. Passive reporting structures — putting it all together
| Exercise 4 | Make passive sentences starting with the words in italics. Don’t use contractions and don’t add any punctuation. |
| 1. | It is felt that the project is too expensive. . |
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| 2. | It was said that the tax changes helped poorer people. | |
| 3. | It is alleged that a fight between rival fans broke out after the match. . |
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| 4. | It has been reported that more bad weather is on the way. . |
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| 5. | It was believed that the company were about to announce redundancies. | |
| 6. | It was later considered that his behaviour had been unacceptable. . |
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| 7. | It is expected that new supplies will arrive soon. . |
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| 8. | It had been claimed that the drug was perfectly safe. . |
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| 9. | It is presumed that everybody escaped unharmed from the wreckage. . |
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| 10. | It is now thought that the number of injured is lower than was feared. . |
Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
Sharks (adapted from Wikipedia)
| Exercise 5 | Make sentences with passive reporting structures starting with the words in given in brackets. Don’t use contractions and don’t add any punctuation. |
| 1. | It is thought that there are more than 400 species of sharks. (There) | |
| 2. | Biologists say that sharks share a class with rays and skates. (Sharks) . |
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| 3. | It is said that sharks have 5 to 15 rows of teeth in each jaw. (They) . |
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| 4. | Experts estimate that sharks’ teeth fall out after only a week.(It) . |
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| 5. | There is said to be one species that grows to a length of 12 metres. (There) . |
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| 6. | Experts believe that these whale sharks can live for more than 100 years.(It) . |
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| 7. | It was reported that there had been 118 shark attacks in 2011. (There) . |
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| 8. | Experts consider that the danger has been exaggerated (The danger) . |
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| 9. | They consider that only ten shark species are dangerous to humans. (Only) . |
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| 10. | They say that humans are a greater threat to sharks than vice versa. (Humans) . |
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Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
Bats (adapted from Wikipedia)
Photo of Big-eared Townsend bat from Wikipedia
Exercise 6 — Read the text, then fill each gap with one word.
| It is said (1) the only mammal naturally capable of true and sustained flight is the bat. Other mammals said (2) fly, such as flying squirrels and gliding possums glide rather than fly, and can only glide for short distances. | |
| Bats (3) thought to represent about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide and (4) are calculated to be about 1,240 bat species in the world. There (5) sometimes thought to have been one single common bat ancestor, from which all bat species have evolved. | |
| It (6) believed that about 70% of bats are insectivores, with most of the rest thought (7) be fruit eaters, and a very few carnivores. There (8) thought to be bats in almost every habitat available on Earth, with the exception of the two polar regions. In many places they (9) considered to play a vital role in pollinating seeds and controlling the numbers of insects pests. | |
| It has (10) contended that Kitti’s hog-nosed bat is the smallest extant species of mammal, although claims have also been made for the Etruscan shrew. (11) is generally agreed that the largest species of bat is the giant golden-crowned flying fox, which (12) said to have a wingspan of 1.5 m. |
Random Idea English
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com
ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE
45. It is said that….. He is said to….. He is
supposed to
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A |
Study this example situation:
You can use these structures with a alleged · It is said that she runs ten · It is believed that the boy is The boy is believed to be wearing a · It is expected that the strike will · It is alleged that he hit a · It is said that there is a There is said to be a secret tunnel These structures are often used in news · Two people are reported to have been injured |
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B |
(Be) Sometimes (it is) supposed to … = (it is) said to … : · · But sometimes supposed to has a different meaning. We use supposed to to say what is · (= the plan is · (= you arranged · · · You’re not supposed to do something= it is not allowed or · · |
EXERCISES
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45.1 |
Write these sentences in another way, beginning
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45.2 |
There are a lot of rumours about Alan. Here Nobody is sure whether these things are
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45.3 |
Complete the sentences using supposed on
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45.4 |
Write sentences with supposed to +the following block depart Use the negative (not supposed to) where necessary.
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ANSWER
KEY
Test 23A
Some of these sentences are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. If the sentence is correct, put a tick (/). If it is incorrect, cross the unnecessary word out of
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the sentence and write it in the space. |
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? |
You promised you wouldn’t be late. |
/ |
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? |
Susan thought ‘That I can’t understand what’s happening.’ |
that |
1Do you know me what time the coach leaves?
2Robert wanted to know if did the price included breakfast.
3Anna insisted on showing us her photos.
4Someone asked us whether that we had eaten lunch.
5Nancy told me she had started the job the week before.
6Nigel said me he wanted to come with us.
7My friend said she did liked her new flat.
8Martin asked us for not to wake the baby.
Test 23 B
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Decide which word is correct. |
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► What did that man say to you? |
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a) at you |
b) for you |
c) to you |
d) you |
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1 |
I rang my friend in Australia yesterday, and she said it………………….. raining there. |
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a) is |
b) should be |
c) to be |
d) was |
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2 |
The last time I saw Jonathan, he looked very relaxed. He explained that he’d been on holiday |
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the………………….. |
week. |
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a) earlier |
b) following |
c) next |
d) previous |
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3 |
I wonder…………………. the tickets are on sale yet. |
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a) what |
b) when |
c) where |
d) whether |
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4 |
I told you…………………. switch off the computer, didn’t I? |
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a) don’t |
b) not |
c) not to |
d) to not |
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5 |
Someone……………………me there’s been an accident on the motorway. |
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a) asked |
b) said |
c) spoke |
d) told |
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6 |
When I rang Tessa some time last week, she said she was busy…………………… day. |
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a) that |
b) the c) then |
d) this |
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7 |
When he was at Oliver’s flat yesterday, Martin asked if he………………….. use the phone. |
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a) can |
b) could |
c) may d) must |
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8 |
Judy …………………… |
going for a walk, but no one else wanted to. |
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a) admitted b) offered |
c) promised d) suggested |
Test 23C
Read the news report and write the missing words. Use one word only in each space. Sometimes there is more than one possible answer.
Police have warned people (►) to watch out for two men who have tricked their way into an old woman’s home and stolen money. The men called on Mrs Iris Raine and said (1)…………………….. …werefromthe water company and wanted to check (2) ………..…………… … her water was OK.
They asked if (3) ……………………… would mind letting them into her house. The woman didn’t ask (4) ………………………….see their identity cards.
She said she (5) …………………….. . know about any problem with the water.
The men explained that they (6)………………………… just discovered the problem but that it was very simple and (7) ………………………… take long to check. The woman asked (8)…………………………the
service was free, and they said yes. They (9)………………………… to know where the water tank was. While one man ran water in the kitchen, the other went upstairs and took several hundred pounds from a drawer in a bedroom. The men then left saying that they would return the (10) ………………………. day to have another look.
Test 23D
Complete each sentence by reporting what was said to you yesterday.
Use said and change the tense in the reported speech.
►Polly: I’m really tired.
When I saw Polly yesterday, she said she was really tired.
1Tessa: I feel quite excited. When I saw Tessa yesterday, .
2Nigel: I can’t remember the code word. When I saw Nigel yesterday,
3Robert: I won’t be at the next meeting. When I saw Robert yesterday,
4The twins: We’ve got a problem. When I saw the twins yesterday,
5Michelle: I’ve been swimming. When I saw Michelle yesterday,
6Your friends: We would like to be in the show. When I saw my friends yesterday,
7Adrian: I don’t need any help. When I saw Adrian yesterday, .
8Susan: My sister is coming to see me. When I saw Susan yesterday,
Test23E
Report the sentences. They were all spoken last week. Use the verbs in brackets.
?Anna to Janet: Don’t forget to sign the form, (remind)
Anna reminded Janet to sign the form.
?Robert: What time will the office close this evening? (ask)
Robert asked what time the office would close that evening.
1A policeman to Christopher: Stop shouting, (tell)
2Tessa: It was me. I ate all the cake yesterday, (admit)
3Adrian: I’m sorry I was rude, (apologize)
4Simon to Susan: Would you like to join me for lunch? (invite)
5Martin to Nancy: Did someone ring you an hour ago? (ask)
6Peter: I really must leave, (insist)
137 Relative clauses with who, which and that
A Introduction
Emma: / saw Natalie the other day.
Melanie: Natalie? The girl who plays the piano?
Emma: No, that’s Natasha. Natalie is the student who dropped out of college, the one who never did any studying. She’s working in Davidson’s now, the shop that sells very expensive clothes.
The relative clauses in this conversation identify which person or thing we are talking about. The clause who plays the piano tells us which girl Melanie means. The clause that sells very expensive clothes tells us which shop Emma means.
Sometimes we can use an adjective or a phrase to identify someone or something.
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Adjective: |
the tall girl the new student |
the red car |
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Phrase: |
the man in the suit the shop on the corner the woman with red hair |
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But when we need a longer explanation, we can use a relative clause. |
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Relative clause: |
the woman who gets up early |
the car that broke down |
B Who, which and that
The relative pronouns who, which and that go after the noun and at the beginning of the relative clause.
Who refers to people.
Nick is the man who owns that enormous dog. I don’t like people who tell jokes all the time. The little girl who sat next to me on the coach ate sweets the whole way.
Sarah is pretty annoyed with the person who stole her mobile phone. We can also use that, but it is less usual.
Jake is the man that plays the guitar.
The woman that lived here before us is a romantic novelist.
That and which refer to things. That is more usual than which, especially in conversation.
The car that won the race looked very futuristic, didn’t it? They’ve recaptured all the animals that escaped from the zoo. The children saw the actual spacecraft that landed on the moon.
Which can be a little formal.
There are several restaurants which do Sunday lunches. Is
Zedco the company which was taken over last year?
We do not use another pronoun like he or it with the relative pronoun.
NOT the-man whohe owns-that-enormouts-dog NOT the-actual spacecraft that it landed on the moon
In all these sentences who, which and that are the subject of the relative clause.
For who, which and that as object, see Units f 38 and f 39.
137 Exercises
1 Identifying (A)
Look at the information and identify which one is meant.
Use the shortest way of identifying where possible, e.g. the tall boy, not the boy who is tall.
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? the boy (he is tall) |
the tall boy |
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the man (he has a beard) |
the man with a beard |
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the woman (she plays golf) |
the woman who plays golf |
1the young man (he is at the door)
2the man (he plays his stereo at night)
3the woman (she is very thin)
4the girl (she has green eyes)
5the young woman (she is in the office)
6the man (he drives a taxi)
7 the young man (he is smart) …………………
8 the student (she failed all her exams)
2 Who, which and that (B)
Complete the conversation. Put in who, which or that. There is always more than one possible answer.
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Emma: |
Shall we have something to eat? |
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Matthew: Yes, but not here. I don’t like cafes (►) that don’t have chairs. I’m not one of those people |
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(►)who can eat standing up. |
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Emma: |
There’s another restaurant over there. |
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Matthew: |
It looks expensive, one of those places (1)……………. charge very high prices. The only |
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customers (2)…………… can afford to eat there are business executives (3)……………. get their |
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expenses paid. Anyway, I can’t see a menu. I’m not going into a restaurant (4)……………. doesn’t |
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display a menu. |
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Emma: |
We just passed a cafe (5)……………….. does snacks. |
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Matthew: Oh, I didn’t like the look of that. |
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Emma: |
You’re one of those people (6) ……………….are never satisfied, aren’t you? |
3 Relative clauses (A-B)
Combine the information to make news items. Make the sentence in brackets
into a relative clause with who or which. Start each sentence with the, e.g. The man …
►A man has gone to prison. (He shot two policemen.)
The man who shot two policemen has gone to prison.
1A bomb caused a lot of damage. (It went off this morning.)
2A scientist has won the Nobel Prize. (He discovered a new planet.)
3A footballer has been banned from playing again. (He took drugs.)
4A little girl has been found safe and well. (She had been missing since Tuesday.)
5A company has laid off thousands of workers. (It owns Greenway Supermarkets.)
6An old lady now wants to swim the English Channel. (She did a parachute jump.)