Meaning
Indicates an impression or tentative conclusion.
Primary Function
Epistemic stance – evidential/tentative
Communicative Purpose
To present an observation while distancing the speaker from certainty.
Pattern
It seems that
Core Structure
It seems that
Função primária
Epistemic stance – evidential/tentative
Propósito comunicativo
To present an observation while distancing the speaker from certainty.
Situações de gatilho
When basing a statement on evidence that is not fully conclusive.
Contextos
Academic analysis, business reports, conversation.
Padrão
It seems that
Estrutura central
It seems that
Slots de substituição
[clause]
Colocados típicos
- seems that
- seems likely that
- seems clear that
Substituições comuns
- it appears that
- it looks as if
- evidently
Erros comuns
Using ‘It seems like that’ (remove “like” before “that”); ‘It seems as if’ is okay.
Similar / contraste
It appears that (more formal), apparently (adverb), it looks like (informal)
Interferências
‘Seems’ can be overused by some L1 groups; vary with other hedging devices.
Família do chunk
- Evidential frames
Nuance
Leaves room for error; typically based on visible evidence.
Efeito pragmático
Cautious, polite, non-confrontational.
Dica de memória
It seems that — it looks like
Nota
This structure is commonly used to introduce a hypothesis or observation based on available evidence, but not absolute certainty.
Upgrade path
It seems that → It would appear that → There are indications that
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