1.两种被动语态转换的基本方法

主动句People say that he is honest的被动句有两种形式:一是把宾语从句改成主语(这时是主语从句)，这时由于主语较长，根据英语句子句尾信息焦点的原则，用形式主语it代替主语，把主语从句置于句尾;二是把主语从句的主语作为句子的主语，把主语从句的动词改为动词不定式，作为主语的补语。试观察:

主动:People say that he is honest．

被动1:It is said that he is honest．

被动2:He is said to be honest．

在被动1转换为被动2时，被动2应按照被动1的时态形式改为相应的不定式形式，下面我们以be和do为例，看看它们的转换规律:

下面我们看一些实例:

提示：

①如果句子的动词是过去式，不定式的形式所表示的时间关系向后推移，请对比:

It was said that he was a good teacher.=He was said to be a good teacher．It is said that hew as a good teacher.=He is said to have been a good teacher．②如果that从句的动词带有除表示将来时间的will以外的其他情态动词，如can，could，may，might，must等，都不适用于被动1变被动2的规则。

It was said that only three people could understand it at the time．(人教大纲版高二上第86页)

据说那个时候只有三个人懂这个东西。

此句不宜改为:Only three people were said to be able to understand it at the time．It is said that he must wait before everything is ready．

据说他必须等到一切安排妥了才行。

此句不宜改为:He is said to have to wait before everything is ready．

③当that从句的主语不是人称代词或名词词组，而是由其他比较复杂的短语或从句充当时，也不适用于被动1变被动2的规则。

At first it was thought that the skills to make copper and bronze objects spread to Britain was through war and armed conflict．(人教大纲版高二下第76页)

起初，人们认为，用铜和青铜制造工具的技术是通过战争和武装冲突传播到英国的。

此句不宜改为:That the skills to make copper and bronze objects spread to Britain was thought to have been through war and armed conflict．