Can I say it in this way?

Question

I know I can say " I was told that there are some people killed by nerve gas 5 years ago."

But I am not sure if I can say "I was heard that there ..." or should I say " I heard that there..."

So the ultimate question is ,

Which one should I say "I was heard that there ..." or " I heard that there..." or even both are right to use?

Kooyeen · Accepted Answer

Hi loveCZ, and welcome to our forum!

You should say "I heard that..."
You can say "I was told..." because in that case the verb is used in a passive construction. I'll give you an example:
Jim told me that Mark is sick.
I was told (by Jim) that Mark is sick.<-- this is the the passive version of the sentence above.

I was heard that... wouldn't make sense as a passive construction, because you can't say Jim hear me that Mark is sick.

So say I heard that Mark is sick.Hope this will be helpful.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi!
I was heard means you said something and somebody heard you.
So the answer is I heard.

Can I say it in this way?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions