There is said to be an election this week.▲?这里，there 不是“形式主语”，至多是一个“虚拟主语”。真正的主语在后面：an?election。我们通常说的 There be 存在句，一般认为，there 只是起引导作用，没有实际意义。因为句子的主语在 be 之后，而且 be 的单复数是由后面的主语决定，而非由 there 决定。剑桥出版的《当代英语语法》 (English Grammar Today) 把 there 称为 dummy subject（虚拟主语）。there 虽然只起引导作用，但在句子结构中，它充当了虚拟主语（dummy subject）。▲?there be 句型，如果充当了某个及物动词的宾语从句，那么，这个及物动词，一般可以有如下句型转换。例如：1. People say that there will be an election this week. → It is said that there will be an election this week.→ There is said to be an election this week. 2. The media report that there is oil under that desert.→It is reported that there is oil under that desert.→There is reported to be oil under that desert.3. People expect that there will be a keen fight in the local elections.→It is expected that there will be a keen fight in the local elections.→There is expected to be a keen fight in the local elections.▲?据我所知，具有该用法的动词是比较有限的，如：say, report, expect, think, believe, suppose, understand 等。1. There is/are said to be... 据说有......2. There is/are reported to be... 据报道有......3. There is/are expected to be... 预计有......4. There is/are thought to be... 人们认为有......5. There is/are believed to be... 人们认为有......6. There is/are supposed to be...人们认为有......7. There is/are understood to be... 人们都知道有......▲【注意】1. 由于There 在此只引导作用，所以，用 is 还是are 要视后面主语的单复数而定。2. There is said to be an election this week.此句，不定式本身就表示将来，所以 will 不再出现，不能说：There will be said to be...