It is said that ... / She is said to ... (C1 Grammar)

To report what people generally say or think without naming who, start with It is said / believed / thought / reported / claimed + that + the claim. This is the voice of academic writing, journalism and formal reports: it lets you state a claim with no named source and, crucially, distances you from it — you report the claim, you don't vouch for it being true. Academic prose usually keeps the that, while news writing often drops it ("It is believed the vessel sank overnight") — both are standard, so keep it when the writing is formal. For the negative, make the reporting verb negative (It is not believed that ...).

Report without naming a source: It is said that ...

• People say the company will expand. → It is said that the company will expand.
• Investigators reported the fire started in the kitchen. → It is reported that the fire started in the kitchen.
• Nobody thinks the plan will work. → It is not thought that the plan will work.
• Not "Is believed that he left the country." — say "It is believed that he left the country.". The pattern needs the empty It at the front to hold the subject slot. (The that itself can be dropped — news writing often does — but academic prose usually keeps it.)
• Try it: A news report can't confirm who leaked the files. Why write "It is believed that a former employee leaked the files" instead of "A former employee leaked the files"? (It reports the claim without naming a source and without committing the writer to its truth — the cautious, objective tone of journalism and academic writing. / It names the source more precisely than the active sentence does. / It is shorter and sounds more casual than the active sentence.) Answer: It reports the claim without naming a source and without committing the writer to its truth — the cautious, objective tone of journalism and academic writing. — The impersonal passive is a register choice, not just a grammar swap: "It is believed that ..." states the claim while keeping the writer at arm's length from it and needing no named source — exactly what a report does when it can't confirm who is responsible. It does NOT name the source (it removes it), and it is longer and more formal, not shorter or more casual, so the other options miss the point of the pattern.
• Try it: People say the bridge dates from the 1800s. Report it without naming who: start with It is said. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: It is said that the bridge dates from the 1800s. — Starting with It is said that reports the idea without naming a source: It is said that the bridge dates from the 1800s. "People say" names a source, which is the very thing this pattern removes, so it is left out. Keep the that in formal writing.

Another way: She is said to + base verb

The same claim can lead with the person or thing instead: subject + is said / believed / reported to + the base verb. "The company is said to be expanding" means the same as "It is said that the company is expanding". Reporters and academics reach for this version when the person or thing is the real topic of the sentence, so it can carry the emphasis. Only a short list of reporting verbs allows it: said, believed, thought, reported, known, expected, alleged. Others keep the It is ... that version only, so "It is hoped that the bridge will reopen" has no "The bridge is hoped to reopen". For the negative: She is not believed to know.

• It is said that the company is expanding. → The company is said to be expanding.
• It is reported that she has resigned. → She is reported to have resigned.
• It is known that the drug lowers blood pressure. → The drug is known to lower blood pressure.
• Not "She is believed know the answer." — say "She is believed to know the answer.". Keep the to: is believed to + the base verb.
• Try it: It is said that the company is hiring. Lead with the company instead. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: The company is said to be hiring. — Leading with the company gives The company is said to be hiring. "That it" belongs to the It is said that pattern, not this one, so it is left out. Here the subject comes first, then is said to + the verb.

Reporting a past action: is said to have + past participle

When the reported action already happened, the second verb steps back in time: subject + is said / believed / reported to have + past participle. Compare the present "She is said to know the answer" (she knows it now) with the past "She is said to have known the answer" (she knew it earlier). Use this in the same formal, reporting register when the claim is about something already finished.

• It is said that he left the country. → He is said to have left the country.
• It is believed that the painting was stolen. → The painting is believed to have been stolen.
• It is reported that profits fell last year. → Profits are reported to have fallen last year.
• Not "He is said to leave the country last year." — say "He is said to have left the country last year.". A finished action needs to have + past participle (to have left), not to + base verb.
• Try it: It is said that he left the country. The reported action is in the past: use to have + the past participle. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: He is said to have left the country. — When the reported action already happened, use to have + the past participle: He is said to have left the country. The bare "left" without to have cannot follow is said here, so it is left out. To have left places the action in the past.