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Ronnie
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.
Apr 1, 2012 1:44 PM
Answers · 6
1
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.
April 1, 2012
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.
April 1, 2012
*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.
April 1, 2012
He is known to be a good doctor (We say, now, that he is still a good doctor; an active practitioner.)
He is known to have been a good doctor (We say, now, that he was, in the past, a good doctor; he may be now a retired person.)
@http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst12388_-to-be--or--to-have-been--.aspx
April 1, 2012
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Ronnie
Language Skills
Chinese (Taiwanese), English
Learning Language
English
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