believed to be / have been
Hi, I have a question:
1. He was believed to be a doctor.
2. He was believed to have been a doctor.
Could you tell me the difference between these two senteces? Thank you.
1. He was believed to be a doctor.
2. He was believed to have been a doctor.
#1 people thought he was a doctor...(was! Maybe he died now, or moved away).
#2 People thought he had been a doctor (at one time) but he's not a doctor now.
1 kwietnia 2012
1
1
1
1. He was believed to be a doctor = he is known to currently be a doctor/is presently a doctor.
2. He was believed to have been a doctor = he WAS known to be a doctor (past tense) so he is not a doctor now/anymore, but used to be.
1 kwietnia 2012
0
1
0
*The kind of sentence "People consider/think/believe/...that he is..." has two forms of passive voice.
-He was believed to be a doctor=People believed that he was a doctor=It was believed that he was a doctor.
*When your thought related with the previous action,"To have past participle" wil be used.
-He was believed to have been a doctor=People believe that he was a doctor=It is believed that he was a doctor.