Report what "people say" without ever naming them — the language of news and rumour.
Newspapers, gossip and formal writing all need a way to say "people say / people believe / people think..." without pointing at a single person. English does this with reporting structures — a special passive that lets you stay neutral and sound objective. Compare:
Master both patterns and your English instantly sounds like a journalist: careful, formal and impossible to blame, because you never say who is doing the saying.
There are two ways to build a report from a verb like say, believe, think, report, know, expect, consider. Choose whichever fits your sentence.
| Structure | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonal | It + is/was + V3 + that + clause | It is believed that he is very clever. |
| Personal | Subject + is/was + V3 + to-infinitive | He is believed to be very clever. |
Start with It, add a passive reporting verb, then that + a normal clause. This is the safest, easiest pattern — the clause after "that" keeps its own tense.
| Reporting verb | Impersonal report | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| say | It is said that she has moved away. | people say so |
| believe | It is believed that the trip will be cancelled. | the general belief |
| report | It is reported that the big match was called off. | news language |
| know / think | It is known that the old oak is very ancient. | accepted as fact |
Take the real subject out of the "that" clause and put it at the front. The reporting verb stays passive, and the second verb becomes a to-infinitive.
The little word after the subject can carry different times. Match the infinitive to the time of the original action.
| Original idea | Infinitive form | Personal report |
|---|---|---|
| a present fact | to + verb | He is said to live near the forest. |
| happening now / around now | to be + -ing | He is thought to be living in another town. |
| a finished, earlier action | to have + V3 | He is said to have won a gold medal. |
The reporting verb itself can be present or past. It tells us when the report was made, not when the action happened.
| Report time | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| now (current rumour) | She is said to have left the school. | people say so today |
| then (report in the past) | She was said to have left the school. | people said so at the time |
| past report, past action | The old boat was believed to have sunk. | at that time, people believed it |
These are the errors B2 students still make with reporting structures. Check your own writing against every row.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| He is said that he is brave. | He is said to be brave. | the personal form never uses "that". |
| It is said him to be brave. | It is said that he is brave. | the impersonal form needs "that" + a clause. |
| She is believed to won the prize. | She is believed to have won the prize. | a past action needs "to have + V3". |
| They said to be very kind. | They are said to be very kind. | the reporting verb must be passive (are said). |
| He is thought to living in another town. | He is thought to be living in another town. | an ongoing action needs "to be + -ing". |
Two classmates share the latest playground gossip. Read it twice and watch how the reporting structures let them repeat rumours without taking responsibility for a single one.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words of news and gossip, then report what "people say" in your own sentences.
Write 8 sentences about a piece of news, a famous person or a rumour you have heard at school or online. Report what people say without naming them. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): rumour · reputation · sceptical · anonymous · verify · speculation · eyewitness · controversy
Few names spark as much curiosity among the children of Maple Hill as that of Toby Vale, the boy inventor who disappeared from the town more than twenty years ago. He is said to have built his first machine at the age of twelve; moreover, by the time he left school he was believed to be the cleverest young inventor the town had ever known. Then, quite suddenly, he vanished.
According to the few stories that survive, Toby grew up in a small town where his father is said to have worked as a clockmaker. Neighbours who knew the family are reported to have described a quiet, curious boy who preferred gadgets to games. It is believed that he taught himself from borrowed library books, and by the time he was fourteen he had reportedly built a machine that amazed his teachers. Teachers at his old school are thought to have kept his early drawings for years, although none of these papers has ever been shown to anyone.
The machine that made his name was, by all accounts, remarkably simple. It is said to have been a little clockwork bird, no bigger than a lunchbox, that could fly right across the playground and land back in his hand. Other clever pupils are reported to have tried for years to copy the design, though none is believed to have fully succeeded. Some older children argue that the toy was never as clever as the legend suggests; others claim it was years ahead of its time. Because Toby hid most of his notes before leaving, the truth is thought to be locked away with him.
The years that followed turned an ordinary pupil into a local hero. His little workshop is said to have grown from a garden shed into a busy club that dozens of children joined, and his inventions are believed to have won every prize at the county fair. He was rarely photographed, and spoke to almost nobody; even when everyone was talking about him he is thought to have avoided the cameras that followed other clever children. Then, in the space of a single winter, he packed up his tools, said goodbye to no one and disappeared. No farewell was ever recorded, and to this day nobody has explained why a boy admired by the whole town chose to walk away.
It is widely reported that Toby now lives alone in a cabin deep in the woods. Some claim he is still building things; indeed, he is thought to be building a new invention that could amaze everyone all over again. Other people, however, insist that the stories are pure invention.
The little village nearest to his supposed home has learned to live with the constant stream of curious visitors. Shopkeepers there are said to have been offered sweets and pocket money for any scrap of information, and more than one child has claimed to be an eyewitness to a tall figure walking at dawn. Such accounts, of course, are almost impossible to verify. A local woodsman is reported to have led three separate expeditions towards the cabin, only to find, each time, a locked gate and a sign asking for privacy. The speculation feeds itself: the less anyone actually sees, the more freely the stories multiply.
What is known for certain is very little. Although it is said that he sees almost no one, it is believed that only three people have seen him in the last decade. His old best friend was once thought to have quarrelled with him; nevertheless, she now says almost nothing. Since that time, the rumours have only grown.
The three people said to have seen Toby in recent years have never agreed on a single detail. One describes an old man with white hair; another insists he looked no more than thirty; the third refuses to speak at all. It is said that each visitor was asked to sign a promise of silence before being allowed near the cabin, which may explain why their stories are so thin. Sceptics point out that contradictory accounts are exactly what we would expect if the meetings never happened. Believers reply that genuine witnesses often remember the same event differently. Once again, the evidence can be read either way.
Not everyone treats the legend kindly. A number of former classmates have grown openly sceptical, arguing that much of what is repeated has been wildly exaggerated. One retired teacher, speaking on condition that she remain anonymous, is said to have called the whole affair a reputation built on silence. Others are more generous; they insist that Toby is simply a shy boy whose inventions were real, whatever the storytellers add. Between these two camps sits the ordinary listener, unsure which version to trust and aware that both sides are repeating things they cannot prove.
Each new year brings a fresh wave of coverage. A television crew is reported to have offered a large reward for a single filmed conversation, and writers are said to be waiting to publish a book that may never be written. The controversy has even reached the classroom, where his life is sometimes used as an example of how quickly rumour hardens into accepted history. Whenever interest seems to fade, an anonymous letter or a blurred photograph is believed to appear, and the cycle of speculation begins once more. Whether these clues are genuine or clever inventions, nobody has managed to say.
Reporters have not given up. Last year a reporter was said to have tracked him down; therefore, the whole town waited for proof. Yet no photograph ever appeared. The article was later shown to be false, whereas Toby's silence remained as complete as ever.
It is worth asking why a single quiet boy should attract so much attention. Part of the answer, perhaps, lies in our own hunger for mystery. A famous person who explains everything soon becomes ordinary; one who explains nothing becomes a legend. Every unanswered question invites a new theory, and every theory, once repeated, is passed on by someone who treats it as fact. In this sense the story of Toby Vale is less about one inventor than about the way rumour works, and how easily speculation dressed in confident language comes to look like the truth.
Toby himself has never confirmed or denied a single rumour. Perhaps that is the point. A boy who says nothing is soon surrounded by stories, and each new tale is repeated until it is taken for fact. Whether Toby Vale is a genius or simply an ordinary boy who wanted to be left alone, nobody can say for sure.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the reporting structure (is / reported / thought / have / believed).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why does the writer say that "what is known for certain is very little"?
2. How does Toby's silence affect the way stories about him spread?
3. Do you think a famous person has the right to complete privacy? Why or why not?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: moreover, however, although, nevertheless, since, therefore, whereas, yet. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
John and Patricia discuss whether technology is changing people for better or worse.
You will hear a conversation: John and Patricia debate whether technology is changing people in a good or a bad way, and where its progress matters most. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
At B1 you linked ideas with and, but, so, because. At B2 you sound noticeably more advanced when you use formal, precise connectors. Four of them are essential this unit — and two familiar ones, although and however, become sharper tools.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| moreover | add a stronger, extra point | It is rumoured he has left. Moreover, his desk is empty. |
| therefore | show a logical result | No one could verify it; therefore, the story was dropped. |
| whereas | contrast two ideas directly | One paper is sceptical, whereas another prints every rumour. |
| nevertheless | say "in spite of that" | The claim was false. Nevertheless, people believed it. |
| although | concede a point inside one sentence | Although it is only speculation, the coverage is huge. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | He is said to have taken the trophy. However, there is no proof. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Basic linking ✗ | Confident B2 writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| There was a rumour. It was not true. People believed it. The news showed it. Then it stopped. | A strong rumour appeared, although nobody could verify it. Nevertheless, it is said to have spread within hours; moreover, it received huge coverage. However, no eyewitness was ever found; therefore, the story quietly died. |
A "what people say" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A topic sentence with an impersonal report | It is widely said that our striker will leave this summer. |
| 2. Body | Report the rumours. Use personal reports (is believed to be...), "to have + V3" for finished actions, and past reports (was said) for older stories. Link with B2 connectors. | He is believed to be unhappy; moreover, a rival club is reported to have made an offer. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment giving your own opinion | Nevertheless, until it is verified, I treat it as pure gossip. |
Write about a famous person, event or piece of news that is surrounded by rumours or different opinions — for example a footballer, a singer, a school story or a local legend. Report what people say, believe and think — do not state everything as fact.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...