Using passive voice
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Passive voice with thinking and saying verbs | page 3 of 4 |
Passive voice with saying verbs
The following are some examples of the use of passive voice with saying verbs:
The alternative route, proposed by a consortium led by the American bank Manufacturers Hanover and the construction group Bechtel, would end at a terminal in Stratford, East London. It is claimed this route would cost £1bn less than BR's. (Microconcord Corpus A)
The asking price now is rumoured to be in the region of £15m.
(Microconcord Corpus A)More than 1,200 people applied for jobs but less than 10 were given interviews at the Toronto office of the Hong Kong companies. No jobs were given, as both sides failed to agree on the terms of appointment. It was said that the applicants wanted benefits such as housing and children's education allowances to cope with the rising cost of living in Hong Kong. (SCMP 7/7/92)
The use of passive voice allows the writers to avoid revealing their sources or taking
personal responsibility for the facts and opinions
reported. For further information about reasons for omitting the agent, see 
Using passive voice: Omitting or including the agent (p 3).
For further information about saying verbs in general, see 
Using indirect
speech to report words and ideas: Overview.
Passive voice with saying verbs
