Study Resource: English raising verbs
Use these verbs in these types of sentences:
Type 1:
Itverb
that...It is said that he is tall.
Type 2:
noun
verb
infinitive…
He is said to be tall.
Notes:
Some raising verbs can only follow one of the patterns above.
Some raising verbs are activeNo definition set for activeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (e.g. acknowledge) while others are passiveNo definition set for passiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (e.g. is acknowledged).
In the table below, the most important raising verbs are given in green.
Verb | Voice | Type 1 OK? | Type 2 OK? | Examples | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
acknowledge | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is acknowledged that Johan likes cats. ✅Johan is acknowledged to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most common. |
admit | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is admitted that Johan likes cats. ✅Johan is admitted to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most common. |
affirm | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is affirmed that Johan likes cats. ✅Johan is affirmed to know Marissa. | A very uncommon raising verb, Type 2 is particularly uncommon. |
allege | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is alleged that Johan likes cats. ✅Johan is alleged to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most common. |
appear | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It appears that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa appears to know Johan. | |
begin | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It began that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa began to like Johan. | |
cease | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It ceased that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa ceased to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
certify | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is certified that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is certified to be a cat-lover. | More common to say: X is certified as a Y or X is a certified Y. |
chance | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It chanced that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa chanced to know Johan. | An uncommon raising verb in American English. |
come | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It came that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa came to know Johan. | We do not say it came that… but we do say it came about that… |
commence | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It commenced that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa commenced to like Johan. | An uncommon raising verb. |
concede | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is conceded that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is conceded to know Johan. | An uncommon raising verb. |
conclude | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was concluded that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was concluded to know Johan. | Type 1 sounds more natural. |
confirm | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was confirmed that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was confirmed to be a cat-lover. | |
continue | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It continues that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa continues to know Johan. | |
declare | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is declared that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is declared to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
decree | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is decreed that Johan will like cats. ✅Marissa was decreed to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
deduce | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was deduced that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa was deduced to know Johan. | |
demonstrate | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was demonstrated that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was demonstrated to know Johan. | Type 1 sounds more natural. |
determine | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was determined that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was determined to know Johan. | Type 2 has two meanings: people determined… or Marissa wanted to. |
discern | passive | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It was discerned that Johan likes cats. ❌Marissa was discerned to know Johan. | Type 2 may be okay for some speakers, but sounds very unnatural. |
disclosed | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was disclosed that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa was disclosed to know Johan. | Type 1 sounds more natural. |
discover | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was discovered that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa was discovered to know Johan. | |
end up | active | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It ended up that Johan liked cats. ❌Marissa ended up to know Johan. | English speakers may sometimes use Type 2 when speaking quickly. |
establish | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was established that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa was established to know Johan. | Type 1 sounds more natural. |
fail | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It failed that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa failed to meet Johan. | |
feel | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was felt that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was felt to be inconsiderate. | Type 2 is very uncommon and can sound odd with this verb. |
figure | active | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It figures that Johan likes cats. ❌Marissa figures to know Johan. | |
gather | passive | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It was gathered that Johan was a cat-lover. ❌It was gathered that Johan was a cat-lover. | An uncommon raising verb. |
get | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It got that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa got to know Johan. | |
grant | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is granted that Johan will like cats. ✅Marissa is granted to know Johan. | A very uncommon raising verb. We usually say: It is taken for granted that… |
grow | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It grew that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa grew to know Johan. | We don’t say it grew that… but we can say it grew to be the case that… |
guarantee | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is guaranteed that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is guaranteed to know Johan. | |
guess | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is guessed that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is guessed to know Johan. | |
happen | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It happens that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa happens to know Johan. | |
have | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It has that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa has to know Johan. | |
hold | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is held that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is held to know Johan. | |
imagine | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is imagined that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is imagined to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
include | passive | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It was included that Johan likes cats. ❌Marissa was included to know Johan. | We usually want to know where it was included (it was included in the book…). |
intuit | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was intuited that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was intuited to know Johan. | Type 1 is much more natural. |
judge | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was judged that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was judged to know Johan. | |
know | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is known that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is known to like Johan. | |
need | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It needs that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa needs to know Johan. | |
note | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was noted that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was noted to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
posit | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is posited that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is posited to know Johan. | Type 1 sounds more natural. |
presume | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is presumed that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is presumed to know Johan. | |
proceed | active | ❓ | ✅ | ✅It proceeded that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa proceeded to meet Johan. | Type 1 sounds very old-fashioned. |
proclaim | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was proclaimed that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was proclaimed to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
promise | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It promised that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa promised to meet Johan. | |
prove | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was proven that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was proven to know Johan. | |
reckon | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was reckoned that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa was reckoned to know Johan. | Sounds casual and is more common in some dialects than others. |
recognize | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was recognized that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was recognized to know Johan. | |
remember | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was remembered that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was remembered to know Johan. | Type 1 is most natural. |
report | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is reported that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is reported to know Johan. | |
reveal | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was revealed that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was revealed to know Johan. | |
rule | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was ruled that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was ruled to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, the infinitive to be is most natural. |
say | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is said that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is said to like Johan. | |
seem | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It seems that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa seems to know Johan. | |
stand to reason | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It stands to reason that Johan likes cats. ❌Johan stands to reason to like cats. | |
start | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It started that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa started to like Johan. | We can say it started to be the case that… |
state | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is stated that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is stated to be a cat-lover. | In Type 2, to be is the most natural infinitive verb. |
stipulate | active | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It was stipulated that Johan should like cats. ❌Marissa was stipulated to know Johan. | |
strike | active | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It struck Lucy that Johan liked cats. ❌Marissa struck Lucy to know Johan. | Strike must be followed by an object before that |
suppose | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is supposed that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is supposed to know Johan. | Type 2 has two meanings: Marissa is thought to or Marissa has to. |
surmise | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is surmised that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is surmised to be a cat-lover. | Type 1 is more natural. |
suspect | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is suspected that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is suspected to be a cat-lover. | We usually say Marissa is suspected of + active participle instead of Type 2. |
take | passive | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It was taken that Johan is a cat-lover. ✅Marissa was taken to be a cat-lover. | The infinitive verb must be to be. |
tend | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It tends that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa tends to like Johan. | We don’t say It tends that… but we do say It tends to be the case that… |
think | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is thought that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is thought to know Johan. | |
threaten | active | ❌ | ✅ | ❌It threatens that Johan will like cats. ✅Marissa threatens to interrupt Johan. | |
turn out | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It turned out that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa turned out to know Johan. | |
understand | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It is understood that Johan likes cats. ✅Marissa is understood to know Johan. | |
verify | passive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅It was verified that Johan liked cats. ✅Marissa was verified to know Johan. | Type 2 is less common. |
were | active | ✅ | ✅ | ✅If it were only that Johan liked cats… (then everything would be okay). ✅If Marissa were to meet Johan… (she would not like him). | Acts as a raising verb only in “if” clauses, sounds very correct and old fashioned to some. |
wind up | active | ✅ | ❌ | ✅It wound up that Johan liked cats. ❌Marissa wound up to know Johan. | Instead of Type 2, say wound up + present participle (ex: wound up knowing). |