Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use reporting passives to distance yourself from information, common in news and formal reports to avoid taking personal responsibility for claims.
- Use 'It + passive verb + that-clause' for general statements: 'It is said that he is rich.'
- Use 'Subject + passive verb + to-infinitive' for personal focus: 'He is said to be rich.'
- Use 'to have + past participle' for past actions: 'She is thought to have left.'
Overview
Passive with Reporting Verbs, 즉 It is said that... 구조에 대해 깊이 있게 파헤쳐 보겠습니다.It is said that... 구조는 단순히 문장을 수동태로 바꾸는 연습이 아닙니다. 이것은 정보의 흐름(Information Flow)을 제어하고, 화자와 정보 사이의 거리(Distancing)를 조절하는 고도의 수사학적 도구입니다. 뉴스 보도, 비즈니스 리포트, 혹은 대학 세미나에서 여러분의 의견이 아닌 '객관적 사실'이나 '일반적 믿음'을 제시할 때 이보다 더 유용한 표현은 없습니다.it'에 있습니다. 영어는 한국어와 달리 주어를 생략하는 것에 매우 인색한 언어입니다. 한국어로는 «내일 비가 온다고들 해»라고 주어 없이 말해도 자연스럽지만, 영어에서는 반드시 주어 자리를 채워줘야 하죠. 이때 특정한 인물(They, People)을 언급하고 싶지 않을 때 사용하는 완벽한 해결책이 바로 가주어 it입니다.People say that...이라고 하면 '사람들'이라는 구체적인 행위자가 등장합니다. 하지만 It is said that...으로 바꾸는 순간, 말하는 주체는 사라지고 전달되는 내용(Information) 그 자체가 문장의 주인공이 됩니다. 이는 한국어에서 «~라고 전해진다» 혹은 «~라는 설이 있다»와 같은 느낌을 줍니다.It is said that... 구조는 문장 전체를 하나의 거대한 '사실'로 묶어버리는 효과가 있습니다. 한국어의 어미 변화(agglutinative endings)가 담당하는 '전달'의 기능을 영어에서는 It + be + p.p.라는 구조적 틀이 담당하는 것입니다.I heard that...은 개인적인 경험에 근거한 정보 전달이지만, It is reported that...은 공식적인 출처가 있음을 암시하며 화자가 그 정보의 진위 여부에 대해 한 발짝 뒤로 물러나 있음을 보여줍니다. 이는 비즈니스 이메일이나 논문에서 자신의 주장을 펼치기 전, 배경 지식을 설명할 때 아주 세련된 방식입니다.It + be (시제에 맞게 변형) + Past Participle (전달 동사) + that + 주어 + 동사...say, believe, know, report, think, expect, allege, understand, claim, estimate 등이 있습니다.it을 활용한 수동태 (Passive) |People say that he is rich. | It is said that he is rich. |They believed that the plan failed. | It was believed that the plan failed. |Experts have reported that... | It has been reported that... |Analysts will expect that... | It will be expected that... |One might suggest that... | It might be suggested that... |that절 내부의 시제는 원래 전달하고자 하는 정보의 시제를 그대로 유지합니다. 가령, «과거에 사람들이 ~라고 믿었다»는 사실을 말할 때는It was believed를 쓰지만, 그 믿음의 내용이 현재의 사실이라면that절 안에는 현재 시제를 쓸 수 있습니다. (예:It was believed that the Earth is flat.- 과거에는 지구가 평평하다고 믿어졌다.)that은 생략 가능하지만, C1 수준의 격식 있는 글쓰기나 발표에서는 반드시 써주는 것이 문장의 구조를 명확히 하고 전문적인 인상을 줍니다.
It is reported that the two companies are in merger talks.(두 회사가 합병 협상 중이라는 보도가 있습니다.)It is understood that the Prime Minister will resign tomorrow.(수상이 내일 사임할 것으로 알려졌습니다.)
It is widely believed that drinking green tea aids digestion.(녹차를 마시는 것이 소화를 돕는다는 것이 널리 퍼진 믿음입니다.)It is rumored that the famous cafe in Gangnam is closing down.(강남의 그 유명한 카페가 문을 닫는다는 소문이 있어요.)
It has been suggested that we push back the deadline by a week.(마감 기한을 일주일 늦추자는 제안이 있었습니다.)- 직접적으로 «내가 제안하는데요»라고 하는 것보다 훨씬 전문적이고 협력적인 느낌을 줍니다.
It is estimated that the population will decrease by 20% by 2050.(2050년까지 인구가 20% 감소할 것으로 추정됩니다.)
It says that...의 오용The newspaper says that...이라고 하는 것은 괜찮습니다. 하지만 일반적인 사실이나 소문을 전달할 때 It says that...이라고 하면 원어민은 it이 무엇을 가리키는지(예: 표지판, 책 등) 찾게 됩니다.- 잘못된 표현:
It says that the economy is bad.(누가? 어디서?) - 정확한 표현:
It is said that the economy is bad.(사람들이 그러는데 경제가 안 좋대.)
It believed that...)be + p.p.가 빠지면 의미가 완전히 달라집니다. It believed라고 하면 주어 it이 무언가를 믿었다는 능동태가 되어버려 비문이 됩니다.- 잘못된 표현:
It expected that the stock price will rise. - 정확한 표현:
It is expected that the stock price will rise.
It is said to... 구조와의 혼동It is said that he is...와 He is said to be...는 의미는 비슷하지만 문장 구조가 다릅니다. It을 주어로 썼다면 반드시 that 절을 연결해야 하고, 실제 인물을 주어로 썼다면 to-infinitive를 써야 합니다. 이를 섞어서 It is said to be he is rich와 같이 쓰는 실수를 주의하세요.It is said that... 구조와 가장 많이 비교되는 것이 바로 'Personal Passive' (Subject + be + p.p. + to-infinitive) 구조입니다. 두 구조의 차이를 명확히 이해하는 것이 C1 마스터의 지름길입니다.It is said that...) | Personal Passive (Subject + be said to...) |it (의미 없음) | 실제 정보의 주인공 (He, The company 등) |It + be + p.p. + that-clause | Subject + be + p.p. + to-infinitive |It is said that he is a genius. | He is said to be a genius. |It is reported that the suspect has been caught. (용의자가 잡혔다는 소식이 들어왔습니다)를 선호할 것입니다. 반면, 친구와 카페에서 특정 연예인에 대해 이야기한다면 He is said to be very humble in person. (그 사람 실제로 보면 되게 겸손하대)가 더 자연스럽습니다. 즉, 정보 전체를 던지느냐, 특정 인물에 대한 평판을 이야기하느냐의 차이입니다.It is said that...에서 said 대신 쓸 수 있는 가장 '고급스러운' 동사는 무엇인가요?It is postulated that...(가정된다)이나 It is contended that...(주장된다)을 추천합니다. 격식 있는 뉴스라면 It is alleged that...(혐의가 제기되다)을 써보세요. say는 가장 기본적이지만, C1 레벨에서는 상황에 맞는 구체적인 동사(claim, maintain, suggest)를 선택하는 것이 실력입니다.that을 생략해도 되나요?that을 넣어주는 것이 문장의 구조를 훨씬 탄탄하게 만들어 줍니다. 생략하지 않는 것을 원칙으로 하되, 아주 캐주얼한 상황에서만 빼는 연습을 하세요.It is rumored that...이나 Word has it that... 같은 표현을 섞어 써보세요. It is said that...은 그보다 조금 더 정중하고 공식적인 느낌을 줍니다. 예를 들어, 사무실에서 «이번에 보너스 나온대»라는 말을 전할 때 It is said that we're getting a bonus this year.라고 하면 아주 세련된 '오피스 잉글리시'가 됩니다.It is said that... 구조는 단순한 문법 규칙이 아니라 여러분의 영어를 더욱 객관적이고, 전문적이며, 전략적으로 만들어주는 강력한 무기입니다. 오늘부터 뉴스 기사를 읽거나 유튜브 테드(TED) 강연을 들을 때, 화자가 이 구조를 어떻게 활용해 정보의 출처를 다루는지 유심히 관찰해 보세요. 여러분의 영어가 한층 더 깊어질 것입니다. 수고하셨습니다!Formation of Reporting Passives
| Structure Type | Formula | Example (Present) | Example (Past Action) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Impersonal
|
It + is/was + V-ed + that...
|
It is said that he is rich.
|
It is said that he was rich.
|
|
Personal
|
Subj + is/was + V-ed + to + V
|
He is said to be rich.
|
He is said to have been rich.
|
|
Continuous
|
Subj + is + V-ed + to be + V-ing
|
He is said to be working.
|
He is said to have been working.
|
|
Passive Inf.
|
Subj + is + V-ed + to be + V-ed
|
He is said to be loved.
|
He is said to have been loved.
|
Meanings
A formal way to report what people say, think, or believe without mentioning the specific source of the information. It creates an objective, journalistic tone.
Impersonal Reporting
Using 'It' as a dummy subject to introduce a general belief or fact.
“It is reported that the CEO has resigned.”
“It was once thought that the Earth was flat.”
Personal Reporting
Focusing on the person or thing being talked about by making them the subject.
“The suspect is believed to be hiding in the woods.”
“She is said to be the best doctor in the city.”
Past Action Reporting
Reporting a past action using a perfect infinitive (to have + past participle).
“He is alleged to have stolen the documents.”
“The company is rumored to have gone bankrupt last month.”
Reference Table
| 기능 | 구조 | 예시 | 뉘앙스 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
일반적인 믿음
|
It is + V3 (say/believe) + that clause
|
It is said that practice makes perfect.
|
널리 받아들여지는 사실, 특정 출처 없음.
|
|
과거의 보고
|
It was + V3 (report/expect) + that clause
|
It was reported that the road was closed.
|
과거에 보고된 특정 사건.
|
|
진행 중인 주장
|
It has been + V3 (claim/allege) + that clause
|
It has been claimed that the antique is fake.
|
최근에 제기되었거나 계속 제기되는 주장.
|
|
공식 뉴스
|
It is + V3 (understand/know) + that clause
|
It is understood that a decision is imminent.
|
공식적이거나 널리 받아들여지는 정보.
|
|
소문/추측
|
It is + V3 (rumor/think) + that clause
|
It is rumored that the CEO will resign.
|
비공식적인 정보, 종종 근거가 부족함.
|
|
일반적인 기대
|
It is + V3 (expect) + that clause
|
It is expected that prices will rise soon.
|
예상되는 결과 또는 상황.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
It is rumored that a new model will be released in September. (Tech news)
A new model is expected to come out in September. (Tech news)
They say a new iPhone is coming in September. (Tech news)
Word is a new iPhone drops in Sept. (Tech news)
보고 동사의 수동태: 'It is said that...' 구조
핵심 동사 (V3)
- said 말하다
- believed 믿다
- reported 보고하다
- known 알려지다
활용
- Formal News 공식 뉴스
- Rumors 소문
- General Beliefs 일반적인 믿음
구조
- It + be (tense) + V3 It + be 동사 (시제) + V3
- that + clause that + 절
'It is said that...' vs. 'People say that...' 비교
'It is said that...' 사용 결정하기
특정 출처 없이 정보를 보고하고 싶나요?
정보가 일반적인 믿음, 소문, 또는 공식적인 보고인가요?
누가 말했는지보다는 정보 자체에 초점을 맞추고 싶나요?
'It is said that...'의 맥락
공식적
- • 뉴스 헤드라인
- • 학술 논문
- • 공식 보고서
비공식적
- • 소문 퍼뜨리기
- • 일반적인 지식
- • 가벼운 가십
객관적
- • 과학적 발견
- • 역사적 사실
- • 여론
회피적
- • 출처 보호
- • 책임 회피
- • 주장 완화
수준별 예문
People say he is nice.
Gente dice que él es amable.
They say it is cold there.
Dicen que hace frío allí.
My friends say she is a doctor.
Mis amigos dicen que ella es doctora.
Everyone says the food is good.
Todos dicen que la comida es buena.
It is said that he is a hero.
Se dice que él es un héroe.
It is known that water is healthy.
Se sabe que el agua es saludable.
It is thought that they are happy.
Se piensa que ellos son felices.
It is reported that the rain will stop.
Se informa que la lluvia parará.
He is said to be very rich.
Se dice que él es muy rico.
It is believed that the team will win.
Se cree que el equipo ganará.
The movie is thought to be excellent.
Se piensa que la película es excelente.
It was reported that the road was closed.
Se informó que la carretera estaba cerrada.
The company is expected to grow this year.
Se espera que la empresa crezca este año.
It is understood that the meeting is cancelled.
Se entiende que la reunión está cancelada.
She is rumored to have quit her job.
Se rumorea que ella ha dejado su trabajo.
The fossils are believed to be millions of years old.
Se cree que los fósiles tienen millones de años.
The diplomat is alleged to have accepted bribes.
Se alega que el diplomático aceptó sobornos.
It is widely considered that his theory is flawed.
Se considera ampliamente que su teoría tiene fallos.
The suspect is understood to be cooperating with police.
Se entiende que el sospechoso está cooperando con la policía.
The manuscript is thought to have been written in the 14th century.
Se piensa que el manuscrito fue escrito en el siglo XIV.
The Prime Minister is purported to be considering a reshuffle.
Se pretende que el Primer Ministro está considerando una remodelación.
It has long been asserted that economic growth is the only metric of success.
Se ha afirmado durante mucho tiempo que el crecimiento económico es la única métrica del éxito.
The artifact was previously reputed to possess magical properties.
Anteriormente se tenía la reputación de que el artefacto poseía propiedades mágicas.
The virus is now known to have been circulating months before the first official case.
Ahora se sabe que el virus había estado circulando meses antes del primer caso oficial.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners use 'People say' in formal essays where 'It is said' is required.
Mixing the 'that' clause with the 'to' infinitive.
Using 'to be' for something that happened in the past.
자주 하는 실수
People is said he is rich.
People say he is rich.
It says that he is rich.
It is said that he is rich.
He is said that he is rich.
He is said to be rich.
He is believed to steal the money yesterday.
He is believed to have stolen the money yesterday.
문장 패턴
It is ___ that ___.
The suspect is ___ to have ___.
___ is widely considered to be ___.
It was once ___ that ___.
Real World Usage
It is reported that the ceasefire has been broken.
The results are thought to be significant.
She is rumored to be getting a promotion.
The suspect is alleged to have used a stolen vehicle.
The city is believed to have been founded in 500 BC.
It is said that the servers are down again.
동사를 다양하게 써보세요
'It'과 'Subject'를 헷갈리지 마세요
공식적인 거리두기에 활용하세요
소문을 정중하게 전달하는 법
시제에 유의하세요
Smart Tips
Switch your 'People say' to 'It is reported that'. It immediately elevates your register.
Always check if you need 'to have'. If the event is over, 'to have' is your best friend.
Try to rewrite it using the subject of the 'that' clause to practice the personal construction.
Use 'widely' or 'generally' to sound even more native-like.
발음
Weak 'to'
In the personal construction, the word 'to' is usually reduced to a schwa /tə/.
Stress on the Reporting Verb
The main stress usually falls on the reporting verb (said, thought, believed) to emphasize the nature of the report.
Falling intonation for facts
It is reported that the king is ↘ dead.
Conveys a serious, final piece of news.
암기하기
기억법
Remember 'It' is for the whole 'that' clause, but 'He' needs a 'to' to reach the verb.
시각적 연상
Imagine a news anchor sitting behind a desk. They aren't saying 'I think', they are pointing to a screen that says 'IT IS REPORTED'. The anchor is a shield between you and the raw rumor.
Rhyme
When rumors fly and news is spread, 'It is said' is what is read.
Story
A detective is investigating a crime. He doesn't have proof yet, so he tells his boss, 'The suspect is believed to have fled.' This way, if the suspect is actually still in town, the detective isn't blamed for a false statement—he was just reporting a belief.
Word Web
챌린지
Write three sentences about a famous celebrity using 'is rumored to', 'is thought to have', and 'it is said that'.
문화 노트
The BBC uses 'It is understood that...' very frequently when they have a reliable source but cannot name them yet.
Using 'It is thought' or 'It has been suggested' is a form of 'hedging'. It makes the writer sound humble and open to other scientific possibilities.
The word 'alleged' is legally required in news reports before a conviction to avoid 'libel' (being sued for lying).
These structures evolved from Latin impersonal passives (e.g., 'dicitur' meaning 'it is said').
대화 시작하기
What is something that is said to be true about your country, but isn't?
Which celebrity is rumored to be the most difficult to work with?
It is often thought that technology makes us lonely. Do you agree?
Is there a place in your city that is said to be haunted?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
It ___ that the new policy will improve efficiency.
올바른 문장을 선택하세요:
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /3
연습 문제
8 exercisesHe is thought ___ (be) the mastermind behind the robbery.
Find and fix the mistake:
It is believed him to have left the country.
People say that the company is losing money. (The company...)
The building is thought ___ in the fire.
You can use the verb 'want' in the 'It is wanted that...' reporting passive structure.
A: Is the new boss nice? B: Well, she ___ very strict.
1. People think he is a spy. 2. People think he was a spy.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
11 exercisesIt ___ that the ancient city holds many undiscovered secrets.
It reported that the meeting was postponed.
어떤 문장이 올바른가요?
다음 문장을 영어로 번역하세요: 'Se dice que la lectura amplía la mente.'
이 단어들을 문장으로 배열하세요:
주어와 올바른 문장 계속을 연결하세요:
It is ___ that the company will announce a merger soon.
It is said that dinosaurs was extinct millions of years ago.
적절한 문장을 선택하세요:
번역하세요: 'Está ampliamente aceptado que el café es adictivo.'
이 단어들을 문장으로 배열하세요:
Score: /11
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No, only 'reporting verbs' related to thinking (believe, think, consider), saying (say, report, allege), or knowing (know, understand). You can't use verbs like 'eat' or 'run'.
Yes, but 'It is said that' is much more formal and common in writing, while 'They say' is common in spoken English.
Use it when the action you are reporting happened *before* the reporting. For example: 'He is said (now) to have been (past) a soldier.'
To avoid legal trouble. If they say 'He is a thief' before a trial, they can be sued. If they say 'He is the alleged thief', they are just reporting what the police say.
Yes. 'He is not thought to be dangerous' or 'It is not believed that the plan will work.'
Absolutely. It is standard in all varieties of formal English, including American, British, and Australian.
'Thought' is a general belief, while 'considered' often implies a more deliberate opinion or a widely held social view.
Yes, for continuous actions. 'The fugitive is thought to be hiding in the mountains.'
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Se dice que...
Spanish lacks the 'Subject + Passive + To-Infinitive' structure.
On dit que...
French prefers active voice with an indefinite subject ('on').
Er soll... sein
German uses a modal verb ('sollen') instead of a passive reporting verb.
...to iwarete iru (〜と言われている)
Japanese word order is reversed, with the rumor coming before the verb.
Yuqal anna... (يُقال أن)
Arabic almost always uses the impersonal 'It' structure, rarely the personal one.
Jushuo... (据说)
Chinese uses a fixed phrase rather than a conjugated passive verb.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
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관련 동영상
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