Practice 1 - The verb 'seem'

Now you can read it:

When we meet our friends, we usually greet them with: How are you? And the answer is usually: Fine thanks and you? But are we really that fine? the truth is that not everything is as it seems. We can’t always be certain, that we understand what we see and what we hear; people around us may seem happy but the truth is that everybody has good days and bad days everybody has their problems. We are going to talk about ‘seem’.

Lets check your understanding of the verb seem:

Qstn 1

Read the following:

Mary: Do you know Ken?

Jane: I don’t know him well. I’ve only talked to him a few times over the phone. He seems to know a lot about tourism.

What can we conclude?

A. Jane is certain that Ken knows all about tourism. OR
B. Jane has the impression that Ken knows the industry well.

Answer: B

Qstn 2

Read the following:

Jane: Are you going to follow Ken’s advice?
Mary: Probably. It seems a good idea.

The last sentence is incorrect – can you correct it?

“It seems to be a good idea.” Or “ It seems like a good idea”

Qstn 3

Which statement is more appropriate for informal conversation?

A. It seems like everything is fine now.
B. It seems that everything is fine now.

Answer: A

Qstn 4

Which statement suggests more certainty or greater probability?

A. It seems as if the problem solved itself.
B. It seems that the problem solved itself.

Answer: B

How did you do on the quiz? Does the topic seem challenging?

Let’s talk about it.

We can use SEEM with an adjective

Seem is a linking verb. We can use it to “link” a subject to a description.

Example:

“I’ve only spoken with Ken over the phone, but he seems nice.”

In this example we are linking ‘he’ with the description ‘nice’.

SEEM can also be followed by the infinitive. For example:

“Ken seems to know a lot about the industry”

So What does SEEM mean?

SEEM (v) = to appear to have a quality of being in some condition; to appear to be true

Examples: (1) Ken seems nice
(2) Ken seems to know a lot.


(1) Ken seems nice – this means that he appears to be nice, we can’t be certain, but it appears to be true that he’s a nice person. This is the impression that we have

2) Ken seems to know a lot. Again, this is our impression; it appears to be true that Ken knows a lot.

Exercise 1

Read this and choose the correct conclusion. Example:

Situation: I called Ken yesterday. He seemed very busy, so I kept the conversation short.

What can we conclude?

A. Ken didn’t want to talk yesterday. Or
B. It’s possible that Ken was very busy yesterday.

Answer: B

Situation 1: The manager read the resume. The candidate seemed to be a good choice for the job.

What can we conclude?

A. The manager knew for certain that the candidate was a good choice for the job. Or
B. The manager thought that the candidate was possibly a good choice for the job.

Answer: B

Situation 2: The boss seems unaware that Ellen has too much work for one person.
What can we conclude?

A. The boss doesn’t care that Ellen is overworked. Or
B. The boss may not realize that Ellen can’t handle the workload by herself.

Answer: B