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Passive infinitives and gerunds: to have been done
C1 C1 grammar · lesson 6 of 16
You know the passive in all tenses from B2. At C1 you can also use passive forms after verbs, adjectives and prepositions, including perfect forms that refer to the past.
The four forms
Many verbs are followed by an infinitive or an -ing form. When the subject receives the action, we need a passive infinitive or gerund. When the action happened before the main verb, we use a perfect form.
| Infinitive | Gerund (-ing) | |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | to be done | being done |
| Perfect passive | to have been done | having been done |
Passive infinitives
Use them after verbs like want, expect, hope, need, seem, appear, would like, and after adjectives and nouns.
Everyone wants to be listened to.
The results are expected to be published next week.
This form needs to be signed by a parent.
The painting is believed to have been stolen in the 1970s.
Ken seems to have been given the wrong information.
Mia would like to have been invited to the wedding.
Passive gerunds
Use them after verbs like enjoy, hate, like, avoid, remember, deny, mind, and after prepositions.
Nobody likes being criticised in public.
Lucy hates being kept waiting.
The child was afraid of being left alone.
He denied having been told about the changes.
I don’t remember being taught this at school.
Note: having been done is often optional when the past meaning is already clear. He denied being told is also correct.
Using the perfect form
The perfect forms are especially common in formal reports and news, together with verbs such as say, believe, think, report and claim. They show that the passive action is earlier than the time of speaking or reporting. Compare: The documents are thought to be kept in a safe (they are there now) and The documents are thought to have been destroyed (this happened in the past).
Need + -ing
After need, an active -ing form can have a passive meaning in everyday English: The car needs washing = The car needs to be washed.
Common mistakes
✗ The letter needs to be sign today.
✓ The letter needs to be signed today.
✗ I hate being tell what to do.
✓ I hate being told what to do.
✗ The ship is thought to have sunk by a storm.
✓ The ship is thought to have been sunk by a storm.
✗ She was angry about not invited.
✓ She was angry about not being invited.