Page 102 - English Grammar in Use

Unit it is said that … he is said to …
45 he is supposed to …

A Study this example situation:
George is very old. Nobody knows exactly how old he is, but:
GEORGE
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:
alleged believed considered expected known reported thought understood

Cathy loves running.
It is said that she runs 10 miles a day. or She is said to run 10 miles a day.
The police are looking for a missing boy.
It is believed that the boy is wearing or The boy is believed to be wearing
a white sweater and blue jeans. a white sweater 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 stole a car. or He is alleged to have stolen a car.
The two houses belong to the same family.
It is said that there is a secret tunnel or There is said to be a secret tunnel
between them. 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 or Two people are reported to have
injured in the explosion. been injured in the explosion.

B supposed to …
You can use supposed to … in the same way as said to … :
I want to see that film. It’s supposed to be good. (= people say it’s good)
There are many stories about Joe. He’s supposed to have robbed a bank many years ago.
Fireworks are supposed to have been invented in China. Is it true?
Sometimes supposed to … has a different meaning. We use supposed to to say what is intended,
arranged or expected. Often this is different from the real situation:
The plan is supposed to be a secret, but everybody seems to know about it.
(= the plan is intended to be a secret)
What are you doing at work? You’re supposed to be on holiday.
(= you arranged to be on holiday)
Our guests were supposed to come at 7.30, but they were late.
Jane was supposed to phone me last night, but she didn’t.
I’d better hurry. I’m supposed to be meeting Chris in ten minutes.
You’re not supposed to do something = it is not allowed or advised:
You’re not supposed to park your car here. It’s private parking only.
Joe is much better after his illness, but he’s not supposed to exercise too hard.

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