هنا

[سامح]

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).