INDEX:
1. to seem
2. ways of saying what seems to be happening,
3. when you think that something will happen or is true because of the way something seems
4. when something or someone is different from the way they seem
5. the way something seems
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1. to seem
▷ seem /siːm/ [verb not in progressive]
if someone or something seems happy, dishonest, true etc, that is what you think they are, even though you are not completely certain :
seem nice/happy/strange etc (to somebody)
▪ Katie seems happy at her new school.
▪ The whole situation seems very strange to me.
seem to be/do something
▪ Lack of money seems to be the main problem.
▪ Ricky graduated, but didn’t seem to know what to do with his life. He was drifting.
it seems (that)/it seems to somebody (that)
use this to say what you think about a situation
▪ It seems that someone forgot to lock the door.
▪ It seemed to Jim that Amy was worried about something.
seem like
especially spoken seem to be
▪ Kevin seems like a nice guy.
▪ ‘Why did you move to New York?’ ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’
there seems to be
▪ There seems to be something wrong with the TV.
it seems as if
▪ There were so many delays - it seemed as if we would never get home.
it seems likely/possible/probable (that)
▪ It seems likely that they will release the hostages soon.
▷ appear /əˈpɪəʳ/ [verb not in progressive] formal
to seem :
appear to be/do something
▪ My father appeared to be in good health.
▪ The archaeologists uncovered both domestic structures and what appear to have been commercial buildings.
appear calm/rude/angry etc
▪ It’s difficult to ask someone their age without appearing rude.
▪ The city appeared calm after the previous night’s fighting.
it appears (that)
▪ Police said it appeared that John Seidler’s death was an accident, but an investigation continues.
▷ look /lʊk/ [verb]
if someone or something looks good, bad, tired etc, that is how they seem to you when you look at them :
▪ That book looks interesting.
▪ Warren looked tired after his long drive.
▪ We had run out of money, and the situation looked pretty hopeless.
look like something
▪ She’s really pretty - she looks like a model.
▪ The burglar was holding what looked like a shotgun.
look as if
▪ You look as if you haven’t slept all night.
it looks as if
use this to say how a situation seems to you
▪ It looks as if we are going to need more help.
▷ sound /saʊnd/ [verb]
if someone or something sounds good, bad, strange, angry etc, that is how they seem to you when you hear about them, read about them, or hear them :
▪ Istanbul sounds really exciting.
▪ He sounds a pretty strange person.
▪ I called my dad and told him what has happened. He sounded really angry.
sound like
▪ ‘We’re all going clubbing tomorrow night.’ ‘That sounds like fun.’
it sounds (to me) as if
use this to say how a situation seems to you when you hear about it
▪ It sounds to me as if he needs to see a doctor.
▷ come across as /ˌkʌm əˈkrɒs æzǁ-əˈkrɔːs-/ [verb phrase]
to seem to have particular qualities or characteristics, especially because of the way you talk to or behave towards other people :
▪ In the book, Strayhorn comes across as a sympathetic human being, while Stan Getz emerges as a volatile character with a violent temper.
come across as being something
▪ He often comes across as being rather cold and arrogant.
come across well/badly
▪ She doesn’t come across well in interviews, but she’s very good at her job.
▷ give the impression /ˌgɪv ði ɪmˈpreʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
if someone or something gives the impression that something about them is true, they make other people think it is true, especially when it is not :
give the impression (that)
▪ Paul liked to give everyone the impression that he knew a lot about cars.
▪ We always leave the lights on when we go out at night, to give the impression there’s someone in the house.
give the impression of
▪ Mirrors are used in the dining room in order to give the impression of space.
▷ strike somebody as /ˈstraɪk somebody æz/ [verb phrase]
if a person or situation strikes you as strange, interesting, unusual etc, this is your opinion of how they seem :
▪ What strikes me as odd is the fact that she didn’t report the burglary to the police.
▪ She didn’t strike me as the type who would want to become a teacher.
strike somebody as being/having something
▪ He never struck me as being very interested in politics.
▷ show signs of /ˌʃəʊ ˈsaɪnz ɒv/ [verb phrase]
if someone or something shows signs of age, improvement, tiredness etc, some features of their appearance or behaviour make them seem old, better, tired etc :
▪ The economy is showing no signs of any improvement.
▪ Doctors at the hospital say Mr Crowther is beginning to show signs of recovery, although he is still in intensive care.
show signs of doing something
▪ If the soil shows signs of drying out, water it sparingly.
▷ have all the hallmarks of /hæv ˌɔːl ðə ˈhɔːlmɑːʳks ɒv/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
if a thing or event has all the hallmarks of something, it has all the typical features of someone’s work or actions, and therefore seems to have been done or made by them :
▪ The explosion has all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack.
▪ The painting isn’t signed by Matisse, but it has all the hallmarks of one of his later works.
▷ smack of /ˈsmæk ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to seem to involve or be caused by a particular attitude, feeling, or intention, especially a bad one :
▪ The government’s new asylum bill seems inhumane, and smacks of racism.
▪ The chairman’s decision is disturbing, and smacks of dishonesty.
2. ways of saying what seems to be happening,
▷ on the surface /ɒn ðə ˈsɜːʳfə̇s/ [adverb]
if a person, place, or situation is pleasant, normal, calm etc on the surface, they seem that way until you know them better :
▪ On the surface, life seemed normal in Beirut at that time.
▪ Mike was very pleasant on the surface, but he had a nasty temper.
▷ outwardly /ˈaʊtwəʳdli/ [adverb]
if someone is outwardly calm, happy etc, that is how they seem to be, but in fact they are probably nervous, unhappy etc :
▪ Outwardly she seemed contented and happy with life.
outwardly calm/unconcerned etc
▪ Henry remained calm and outwardly unaffected by the terrible events of the previous day.
▷ to all appearances /tʊ ˌɔːl əˈpɪ ə rənsə̇z/ [adverb]
use this when something seems to be true about someone or something especially when it is not true :
▪ To all appearances, they were a happily married couple.
▷ on the face of it /ɒn ðə ˈfeɪs əv ɪt/ [adverb]
use this to say that something seems true, you mean that it seems true, but you are not at all certain that it actually is, because you do not know all the facts :
▪ On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.
▪ On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
▷ seemingly /ˈsiːmɪŋli/ [adverb]
seemingly impossible/endless/unimportant etc
seeming to be impossible, endless, unimportant etc, especially when this is not actually true :
▪ Running a mile in under 4 minutes was a seemingly impossible task.
▪ I looked down at the seemingly endless expanse of green of the Serengeti Plain.
▪ The music was strange, seemingly without a melody.
▷ apparent /əˈpærənt/ [adjective only before noun]
apparent abilities, feelings, or attitudes seem to be real, but you cannot be sure if they are :
▪ She was upset by her father-in-law’s apparent dislike of her.
▪ What shocked me was the parents’ apparent lack of interest in their child.
apparently [adverb]
▪ He walked away from the crash, apparently unhurt.
▷ seeming /ˈsiːmɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun] formal
seeming to be true about someone’s feelings, attitudes, or abilities :
▪ I wondered about Richard’s seeming reluctance to talk about his family.
▪ The professor became frustrated by his students’ seeming inability to understand simple questions.
▷ superficial /ˌsuːpəʳˈfɪʃ ə l◂, ˌsjuː-ǁˌsuː-/ [adjective]
feelings, attitudes, or qualities that are superficial are not real or true, even though someone or something seems to have them :
▪ The people are friendly, but only in a superficial way.
▪ The landscape bore a superficial resemblance to England’s green and pleasant land, and each house had a small suburban garden.
3. when you think that something will happen or is true because of the way something seems
▷ judging by/judging from/going by /ˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ baɪ, ˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ frɒm, ˈgəʊɪŋ baɪ/ [preposition]
▪ Judging by Michael’s expression I’d say he wasn’t in a very good mood today.
▪ She looks like a student, judging from the number of books she’s carrying under her arm.
▪ Going by the quality of the runners, I think this week’s 800 metres final could produce a new Olympic record.
▷ from the way /frəm ðə ˈweɪ/ [conjunction]
use this to say that something seems to be true because of the way someone or something looks or the way they do something :
▪ It was clear from the way Dorothy spoke that she was worried about something.
▪ From the way the body was lying, I’d say it was suicide.
▷ you’d think/anyone would think /juːd ˈθɪŋk, ˌeniwʌn wʊd ˈθɪŋk/
use this when you want to say that someone is making a situation seem much more serious or important than it really is :
▪ He’s only cut his finger but you’d think he was bleeding to death, the amount of noise he’s making.
▪ Mary’s spent at least three days cleaning up and preparing the meal -- anyone would think she was expecting royalty!
▷ from /frəm, strong frɒmǁfrəm, strong frʌm, frɑːm/ [preposition]
from somebody’s face/voice/clothes etc
use this to say that because of the way someone’s face etc looks or sounds, something seems to be true :
▪ From his voice I’d say he was born somewhere in the North of England.
▪ She looked from her clothes like some kind of high-powered executive.
4. when something or someone is different from the way they seem
▷ there’s more to somebody/something than meets the eye /ðeəʳz ˌmɔːʳ tə somebody/something ð ə n ˌmiːts ði ˈaɪ/
use this to say that someone or something is more interesting, important, intelligent etc than they seem to be :
▪ ‘I didn’t know he wrote poetry.’ ‘Yes -- he also does painting. There’s more to him than meets the eye.’
▪ People think of Bradford as a dull industrial city, but there is more to it than meets the eye.
▪ It looks like a simple case of burglary, but there may be more to it than meets the eye.
▷ deceptive /dɪˈseptɪv/ [adjective]
seeming to be good, friendly, safe etc, but in fact being very different :
▪ The sea here is very deceptive -- it looks calm but is in fact very dangerous.
▪ Federal organizations have been monitoring the Internet for deceptive advertisements, consumer fraud, and other unlawful activities.
appearances can be deceptive
what seems to be true may not be true
▪ I know appearances can be deceptive, but Jeffrey didn’t seem like a wife-beater.
▷ deceptively /dɪˈseptɪvli/ [adverb]
deceptively simple/easy etc
seeming simple, easy etc, but actually very difficult :
▪ The first question seemed deceptively simple.
▪ The cycling route looks deceptively easy, especially when seen from a car.
▷ not be what you seem /ˌnɒt biː wɒt juː ˈsiːm/ [verb phrase]
use this to say that someone is not what they seem to be, especially because they are deliberately trying to trick you :
▪ There’s something odd about him -- I don’t think he’s what he seems. He might be a cop.
▪ I’ve been doing a little research - our Mr Malamute is not what he seems.
5. the way something seems
▷ appearance /əˈpɪ ə rəns/ [countable noun]
if someone or something has the appearance of being a particular kind of person or thing, they seem to be like that, but in fact they may not be :
give the appearance of
seem like
▪ Karen gives the appearance of being confident, but she isn’t really.
▪ The wall was painted with little squares to give the appearance of mosaic.
appearances can be deceptive
what seems to be true may not be true
▪ This mushroom looks harmless enough, but appearances can be deceptive and it is in fact very poisonous.
▷ impression /ɪmˈpreʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
your impression of someone or something is the way they seem to you :
impression of
▪ What’s your impression of Frank as a boss?
get the impression (that)
think something is a fact because it seems true
▪ We got the impression that Sally wasn’t very pleased to see us.
▪ For some reason she got the impression that you didn’t like her.
give the impression (that)
make people believe something, by making it seem to be true
▪ In her book, she gives the impression that she was a close friend of the Prince, but in fact she only met him twice.
a good/a bad/the wrong impression
▪ In an interview don’t say anything negative about your current employer - it gives a bad impression.
▪ If she joked with him, he would think she was flirting, and she didn’t want him to get the wrong impression.
first impression
how someone or something seems to you the first time you see them
▪ My first impression of England was of a grey and rainy place.
▷ semblance of /ˈsembləns ɒv/ [singular noun]
semblance of truth/normality/stability etc
when something seems to be true, normal etc - use this especially in negative sentences when something seems only very slightly true, normal etc, or to say that it does not seem this at all :
▪ Any semblance of democracy quickly disappeared when the military government announced it was taking over.
▪ A novel needs to have some semblance of truth, or the reader will quickly lose interest in it.