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Study Resource: English raising verbs

By: Isabel McKay

Use these verbs in these types of sentences:

  • Type 1:

    It

    verb

    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 active (e.g. acknowledge) while others are passive (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).

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