Drag the elements
- impersonal
- active
- beginning
- personal
- without an object
- infinitive
- object
- subordinate
Personal Passive simply means that the object of the [ ] sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an [ ] (transitive verb) can form a [ ] passive.
They plant flowers (object). — Flowers (subject) are planted.
Verbs [ ] (intransitive verbs) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an [ ] construction — therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.
he says — it is said
They say that women live longer than men. — It is said (impersonal construction) that women live longer than men.
The subject of the [ ] clause (women) goes to the [ ] of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an [ ] construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).