Seems to, tends to

  • B2 · Upper-intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • hedging

Saying what the evidence shows, carefully: seem to, appear to, tend to and it looks as if (People who work from home seem to be happier, but they tend to work longer days). The student reads a careful report on a real experiment about working from home, chooses and builds the forms (seems to have been, there seems to be, don't tend to), fixes the usual mistakes, and makes careful claims that the teacher challenges.

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seems totends toIt looks as if

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: working from homeReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the careful verbsGrammar exercise
  6. 6Saying it carefullyGrammar rule
  7. 7Choose the formGrammar exercise
  8. 8Start with the person or thingGrammar exercise
  9. 9Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12Careful claimsSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: which sentence is correct?Grammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: our café surveyGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: a careful reportDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. What do you think makes people happier at work: more money, more free time or something else?
  2. Do you believe the studies you read about in the news? Why, or why not?
  3. How has work changed in your country in the last five years?

Grammar rule

Saying it carefully

seem, appear, tend, it looks as if

FormUseExample
seem / appear + to + verbit looks true from what we know (appear is more formal)The new medicine appears to work.
seem / appear + to be + -ingin progress nowPrices seem to be going up again.
seem / appear + to have + past participleabout something earlierThe thieves seem to have used a ladder.
there seems / appears to be + a nouna careful "there is"There seems to be a mistake on the bill.
it seems / appears (that) + a clausethe same idea, with a full clauseIt seems that the shoe store has closed.
tend to + verba general pattern: this usually happensSmall dogs tend to live longer than big dogs.
it looks as if / as though + a clausewhat the evidence suggests nowIt looks as if the game will be canceled.

Negatives and questions

  • He doesn't seem to like jazz. (more formal: He seems not to like jazz.)
  • We don't tend to eat out. / We tend not to eat out. Both are correct.
  • Does it seem to help? Do you tend to cook at home?

Watch out

  • After to, the base verb: seems to knowing → seems to know; tend to working → tend to work.
  • For something earlier, use to have + past participle: It seems to break → It seems to have broken.
  • seem + an adjective is fine (She seems tired). Before a noun phrase, use to be: He seems to be a nice guy. (In conversation, Americans also say He seems like a nice guy.)
  • For "there is", use there: It seems to be a problem → There seems to be a problem.
  • tend to is for habits and patterns, not one event: It tends to rain tomorrow → It looks as if it will rain tomorrow.
  • it looks as if + a normal tense says what is probably true. as if + a past form about now (lesson 19) is for something unreal: She talks to us as if we were children. In speech, Americans also say It looks like the game will be canceled.
Hedging is for evidence, not for everything: when you are sure, just say it.

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