hearsay reporting

Hearsay reports describe what people say, report, believe, think, consider, know, etc., and are often used in news reporting. They are introduced by a passive form of the report verb, either in present simple or past simple form with a to-infinitive. The report can refer to the present or past, or a time before the time of reporting. Different forms of the infinitive are used to show the relation of the report to the report verb:

e.g. The patient is said to be as well as can be expected. (That’s what people say now about the present situation).

The robbers are thought to have stolen more than £3 million. (That’s what people say now about the past situation).

Last week the Prime Minister was said to be undecided (That’s what people said in the past about the situation then).

Mr Smith was believed to have taken the car by mistake (That’s what people said then about something that had happened earlier).

13. Rewrite each sentence so that it begins with the words underlined.

1 People say that the company's European division is having a good year.

2 In contrast, they say that the Far East division has been suffering from rising costs.

3 People believe that the company has been talking to a competitor about a possible merger.

4 People know some directors have been thinking on these lines for some time.

5 People believe the CEO. Carl Graham, is making an attempt to focus the business more sharply in some areas.

6 People say he is also looking at the possibility of job cuts.

7 People think the company is holding a top-level meeting about these matters next week.

14. Complete the sentence so that it means the same as the first sentence.

A)

1 It is said that house prices are too high.

House prices....................................................................................................

2 It is thought that the hospital is short of money.

The hospital.......................................................................................... ,.........

3 It was alleged that the athlete had cheated.

The athlete.......................................................................................................

4 It is reported that the prime minister is resigning.

The prime minister..........................................................................................

5 It is expected that the new sports stadium will be finished soon.

The new sports stadium..................................................................................

6 It is generally considered that sixteen is too young to get married.

Sixteen.............................................................................................................

7 It was thought that the book had been destroyed.

The book.........................................................................................................

8 It is believed that the children had been hiding for two weeks.

The children....................................................................................................

B)

1 Oak Island in Canada is one of many places in the world which people think is the site of buried treasure.

Oak Island in Canada is one of many places in the world which …….........

2 People say that the treasure is in a place called 'the money pit'.

The treasure ………………………………………………

3 People think that pirates buried the treasure centuries ago.

Pirates ………………………………………………………

4 The money pit story dates back to 1795, when people report that a local youth fell into a hole at the foot of a large tree.

The money pit story dates back to 1795, when a local youth………………

5 People believe that he and a friend discovered traces of treasure in the hole.

He and a friend ………………………………………….

6 People say that the two men found a treasure chest in later excavations.

The two men …………………………………………….

7 However, before they could open the chest, people say that water flooded in.

However, before they could open the chest, water ………………………..

8 Since then, people believe that more than a dozen groups of treasure hunters have searched for the treasure.

Since then, more than a dozen groups of treasure hunters …………………..

9 People think that some explorers found old pieces of metal in the hole.

Some explorers ……………………………………….

10 However, people now report that the pit is a natural phenomenon, or the remains of old colonial fortifications.

However, the pit is now………………………