UNIT 44. It is said that... He
is said to... (be) supposed to...
A. Study this example
situation:
Henry is very old. Nobody
knows exactly how old he is, but:
It is said that he is 108
years old. or He is said to be 108 years old.
Both these sentences mean:
'People say that he is 108 years old.'
You can use these structures
with a number of other verbs, especially:
thought believed considered
reported known expected alleged understood
Compare the two structures:
* Cathy works very hard.
It is said that she works 16
hours a day. or She is said to work 16 hours a day.
* The police are looking for a
missing boy.
It is believed that the boy is
wearing a or white pullover and blue jeans. The boy is believed to be wearing a
white pullover and blue jeans.
* The strike started three
weeks ago.
It is expected that it will
end soon. or The strike is expected to end soon
* A friend of mine has been
arrested.
It is alleged that he kicked a
policeman. or He is alleged to have kicked a policeman.
* Those two houses belong to
the same family.
It is said that there is a
secret tunnel between them. There is said to be a secret tunnel between them.
These structures are often
used in news reports. For example, in a report about an accident:
* It is reported that two
people were injured in the explosion. or Two people are reported to have been
injured in the explosion.
B. (Be) supposed to
Sometimes it is supposed to
... = it is said to...
* Let's go and see that film.
It's supposed to be very good. (= it is said to be very good)
* 'Why was he arrested?' 'He's
supposed to have kicked a policeman.' (= he is said to have kicked a
policeman)
But sometimes supposed to has
a different meaning. 'Something is supposed to happen' = it is planned,
arranged or expected. Often
this is different from what really happens:
* I'd better hurry. It's
nearly 8 o'clock and I'm supposed to be meeting Ann at 8.15. (= I have arranged
to
meet Ann, I said I would meet
her)
* The train was supposed to
arrive at 11.30 but it was an hour late. (= the train was
expected to arrive at 11.30
according to the timetable)
* You were supposed to clean
the windows. Why didn't you do it?
'You're not supposed to do
something' = it is not allowed or advisable for you to do it:
* You're not supposed to park
your car here. It's private parking only.
* Mr. Bond is much better
after his illness but he's still not supposed to do any heavy work. (= his
doctors
have advised him not to ...)
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