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Distancing

The document discusses the concept of 'distancing' in language, which involves using indirect and cautious expressions to separate the speaker from the certainty of statements. It provides various structures and examples for using verbs like 'seem' and 'appear', as well as passive constructions and other expressions to convey uncertainty and politeness. Additionally, it highlights the importance of distancing in academic writing and offers teaching methodologies for effectively incorporating these concepts into language learning.

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Zakaria Habibi
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
4 views18 pages

Distancing

The document discusses the concept of 'distancing' in language, which involves using indirect and cautious expressions to separate the speaker from the certainty of statements. It provides various structures and examples for using verbs like 'seem' and 'appear', as well as passive constructions and other expressions to convey uncertainty and politeness. Additionally, it highlights the importance of distancing in academic writing and offers teaching methodologies for effectively incorporating these concepts into language learning.

Uploaded by

Zakaria Habibi
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

‫‪✅ 5A — Distancing‬‬

‫ترجمه‪:‬‬
‫‪ A — ۵‬فاصلهگذاری زبانی (غیرمستقیم صحبت کردن)‬

‫‪ 📌 Distancing‬یعنی‪:‬‬
‫غیرمستقیم‪ ،‬محتاطانه و مودبانه بیان کردن اطالعات به طوری که گوینده کامالً مسئول یا مطمئن به نظر نرسد‪.‬‬

‫‪✅ seem / appear‬‬


‫ترجمه عنوان‬
‫به نظر رسیدن = ‪seem / appear‬‬

‫‪🔹 Sentence 1‬‬


‫‪✅ English‬‬

‫‪It seems / appears that when people multitask, they in fact do one thing after another in‬‬
‫‪quick succession.‬‬

‫‪✅ Persian‬‬

‫به نظر میرسد وقتی مردم چندکار را همزمان انجام میدهند‪ ،‬در واقع کارها را یکی پس از دیگری و پشت سر هم انجام‬
‫میدهند‪.‬‬

‫‪✅ English‬‬

‫‪The new marketing manager seems / appears to be very friendly.‬‬

‫‪Persian‬‬

‫مدیر جدید بازاریابی به نظر میرسد بسیار دوستانه باشد‪.‬‬


✅ English

Excuse me. There seems to be a mistake with my order.

✅ Persian

.‫ به نظر میرسد در سفارش من اشتباهی وجود دارد‬،‫ببخشید‬

🔹 Sentence 2
✅ English

It would seem / appear that Mr. Young had been using the company’s assets to pay off his
private debts.

✅ Persian

.‫به نظر میرسد آقای یانگ از داراییهای شرکت برای پرداخت بدهیهای شخصیاش استفاده کرده بوده است‬

✅ Rule Section – seem / appear

✅ English

We often use seem and appear to give information without stating that we definitely know
it is true, in this way distancing ourselves from the information.

✅ Persian

‫استفاده میکنیم تا اطالعاتی بدهیم بدون اینکه بگوییم قطعا ً درست است؛ به این شکل خودمان‬appear ‫و‬seem ‫ما اغلب از‬
.‫را از اطالعات فاصله میدهیم‬
✅ English

We can use It seems / appears + that + clause, or subject + seem / appear + infinitive.

✅ Persian

‫میتوانیم از ساختار‬
‫جمله‬It seems / appears + that +
‫یا‬
(to …)‫ مصدر‬+ seem / appear + ‫فاعل‬
.‫استفاده کنیم‬

✅ English

We use It would seem / appear + that + clause to distance ourselves even further from the
information, making it sound even less sure.

✅ Persian

‫ما از‬
‫جمله‬It would seem / appear + that +
.‫استفاده میکنیم تا فاصله بیشتری از اطالعات بگیریم و آن را نامطمئنتر نشان دهیم‬

✅ English

This is more formal than It seems / appears.

✅ Persian

‫این ساختار رسمیتر از‬It seems / appears ‫است‬.


✅ The passive with verbs of saying and reporting
:‫ترجمه عنوان‬
‫حالت مجهول با افعال گفتن و گزارش دادن‬

🔹 Examples

✅ English

It is said that using a washing machine saves people on average 47 minutes a day.

✅ Persian

.‫ دقیقه در وقت مردم صرفهجویی میکند‬۷۴ ‫گفته میشود استفاده از ماشین لباسشویی به طور میانگین روزانه‬

✅ English

It has been announced by a White House spokesperson that the president has been taken to
the hospital.

✅ Persian

.‫توسط سخنگوی کاخ سفید اعالم شده است که رئیسجمهور به بیمارستان منتقل شده است‬

✅ English

The company director is expected to resign in the next few days.

✅ Persian

.‫انتظار میرود مدیر شرکت در چند روز آینده استعفا دهد‬


✅ English

The missing couple is understood to have been living in Panama for the last five years.

✅ Persian

.‫گمان میرود زوج گمشده پنج سال گذشته را در پاناما زندگی کرده باشند‬

✅ English

There are thought to be over a thousand species in danger of extinction.

✅ Persian

.‫تصور میشود بیش از هزار گونه در خطر انقراض باشند‬

✅ Rule Section – Passive distancing

✅ English

Another way of distancing ourselves from the facts, especially in formal written English, is
to use the passive form of verbs like say, think, etc., to introduce them.

✅ Persian

think ‫و‬say ‫ استفاده از شکل مجهول افعالی مثل‬،‫ مخصوصا ً در نوشتار رسمی‬،‫راه دیگر فاصله گرفتن از واقعیتها‬
.‫برای معرفی اطالعات است‬
✅ English

We can use: It + passive verb + that + clause.

✅ Persian

:‫میتوانیم از ساختار‬
‫ جمله‬+ that + ‫فعل مجهول‬It +
.‫استفاده کنیم‬

✅ English

Verbs commonly used in this pattern are: agree, announce, believe, expect, hope, say,
suggest, and think.

✅ Persian

:‫افعال رایج در این الگو عبارتاند از‬


think. ،suggest ،say ،hope ،expect ،believe ،announce ،agree

✅ English

Subject + passive verb + infinitive.

✅ Persian

(to …)‫ مصدر‬+ ‫ فعل مجهول‬+ ‫فاعل‬

✅ English

Verbs commonly used in this pattern are: believe, expect, report, say, think, and
understand.

✅ Persian

:‫افعال رایج در این الگو عبارتاند از‬


understand. ،think ،say ،report ،expect ،believe
✅ English

There can also be used + passive verb + infinitive.

✅ Persian

‫همچنین میتوان از‬


‫ مصدر‬+ ‫فعل مجهول‬There +
.‫استفاده کرد‬

✅ English

It is said that there are more than five million people living in poverty in this country.

✅ Persian

.‫گفته میشود بیش از پنج میلیون نفر در این کشور در فقر زندگی میکنند‬

✅ English

There are said to be more than five million people living in poverty in this country.

✅ Persian

.‫گفته میشود بیش از پنج میلیون نفر در این کشور در فقر زندگی میکنند‬

✅ Other distancing expressions


:‫ترجمه عنوان‬
‫سایر عبارات فاصلهگذار‬
🔹 Examples

✅ English

Apparently, Jeff and Katie have separated.

✅ Persian

.‫ظاهرا ً جف و کیتی از هم جدا شدهاند‬

✅ English

According to new research, the idea that we have to drink two liters of water a day is a
myth.

✅ Persian

.‫ این تصور که باید روزی دو لیتر آب بنوشیم یک افسانه است‬،‫طبق تحقیقات جدید‬

✅ English

Dinosaurs may have died out due to extremely rapid climate change.

✅ Persian

.‫دایناسورها ممکن است به دلیل تغییرات بسیار سریع آبوهوا منقرض شده باشند‬

✅ English

There are rumors that the band might be planning to reform and record a new album.

✅ Persian

.‫شایعاتی وجود دارد که گروه موسیقی شاید قصد داشته باشد دوباره تشکیل شود و آلبوم جدید ضبط کند‬
✅ Rule Section – Other expressions

✅ English

We use apparently (usually either at the beginning or the end of a phrase) to mean that we
have heard / read something, but that it may not be true.

✅ Persian

‫ اما ممکن‬،‫(معموالً در ابتدا یا انتهای جمله) استفاده میکنیم تا بگوییم چیزی را شنیدهایم یا خواندهایم‬apparently ‫ما از‬
.‫است درست نباشد‬

✅ English

This is very common in informal conversation.

✅ Persian

.‫این کاربرد در مکالمه غیررسمی بسیار رایج است‬

✅ English

We use according to to specify where information has come from. We use it to attribute
opinions to somebody else.

✅ Persian

.‫استفاده میکنیم تا مشخص کنیم اطالعات از کجا آمده است و نظر را به شخص دیگری نسبت دهیم‬according to ‫از‬

✅ English
Using may / might also suggests that something is possible but not necessarily true.

✅ Persian

.‫ اما قطعیت ندارد‬،‫نیز نشان میدهد چیزی ممکن است درست باشد‬may / might ‫استفاده از‬
🌟 DISTANCING — FULL ELABORATION

✅ 1. What Distancing Really Means


In grammar and pragmatics, distancing means:

using language forms to separate the speaker from the truth, responsibility, certainty, or
force of a statement.

Instead of saying something directly and strongly, we say it indirectly and cautiously.

Persian concept:

Distancing ‫یعنی گوینده خودش را از جمله فاصله میدهد تا‬:

 ،‫مطمئن به نظر نرسد‬


 ،‫مؤدب باشد‬
 ،‫رسمی صحبت کند‬
 ،‫مسئولیت کامل نپذیرد‬
 ‫ادعا را نرمتر کند‬.

✅ 2. Distancing vs Direct Language


Compare:

Direct:
👉 He is guilty.

Distanced:
👉 He appears to be guilty.

Direct:
👉 You made a mistake.

Distanced:
👉 It seems a mistake was made.
Persian idea:

‫ گاهی بیادب‬،‫ شخصی‬،‫مستقیم = قاطع‬


‫ مودب‬،‫ رسمی‬،‫فاصلهدار = محتاط‬

✅ 3. Distancing with seem / appear


These verbs mean “to look like / to give the impression”.

Main structures:

🔹 A) It seems / appears + that + clause

👉 It seems that she is tired.


‫به نظر میرسد او خسته است‬.

Used when:

 we are not 100% sure,


 we rely on impressions,
 we want polite tone.

🔹 B) Subject + seem / appear + to + verb

👉 She seems to be tired.


‫او به نظر میرسد خسته باشد‬.

More natural in speech and writing.

🔹 C) It would seem / appear + that …

👉 It would seem that the plan has failed.


‫به نظر میرسد برنامه شکست خورده باشد‬.

This adds:
✔ more distance
✔ more formality
✔ less certainty

📌 Often used in academic writing.

Usage Note:

Don’t confuse:

❌ It seems he is right surely.


✅ It seems he may be right.

Because distancing prefers uncertainty.

✅ 4. Distancing with Passive Reporting Verbs


We use passive voice with verbs like:

say, think, believe, expect, report, understand, announce

to avoid saying who says it.

🔹 Pattern 1

It + passive + that-clause

👉 It is said that the economy is improving.


‫گفته میشود اقتصاد در حال بهبود است‬.

👉 It is believed that he is innocent.


‫باور بر این است که او بیگناه است‬.

Function:
✔ impersonal
✔ academic
✔ objective
🔹 Pattern 2

Subject + passive + to-infinitive

👉 He is believed to be innocent.
‫گمان میرود او بیگناه باشد‬.

👉 The company is expected to grow.


‫انتظار میرود شرکت رشد کند‬.

This avoids repeating that-clauses.

🔹 Pattern 3

There + passive + to be

👉 There are thought to be problems.


‫تصور میشود مشکالتی وجود دارد‬.

Used for:
✔ existence
✔ statistics
✔ reports

Teaching Insight:

Students often write:

❌ People think that…


Better academic:

✅ It is thought that…

✅ 5. Distancing with apparently


Apparently means:

according to what we have heard / seen, but not confirmed.

👉 Apparently, she has left the company.


‫ظاهرا ً او شرکت را ترک کرده است‬.

Position:

 beginning
 middle
 end

👉 She has apparently left.

Tone:
✔ informal
✔ conversational
✔ safe

✅ 6. Distancing with according to


According to shows the source, not your opinion.

👉 According to experts, the climate is changing.


‫ آبوهوا در حال تغییر است‬،‫طبق نظر کارشناسان‬.

You use it to:


✔ give authority
✔ avoid responsibility
✔ show reference

📌 Avoid:

❌ According to me in formal writing.


Better:

✅ In my opinion.
✅ 7. Distancing with may / might
These modals express:

possibility, not certainty.

👉 She may be late.


‫ممکن است دیر کند‬.

👉 They might have misunderstood.


‫شاید بد فهمیده باشند‬.

Difference:

 may = more possible


 might = more distant

Used in:
✔ research
✔ prediction
✔ TOEFL essays

✅ 8. Distancing in Academic Style


Instead of student style:

👉 I think this is wrong.

Use academic:

👉 It appears that this may be problematic.

Instead of:

👉 People say…

Use:

👉 It is widely believed that…


This raises:
✔ formality
✔ score
✔ credibility

✅ 9. Common Learner Mistakes


❌ Too direct:
You are incorrect.

✅ Distanced:
You seem to be mistaken.

❌ No hedge:
This will fail.

✅ Distanced:
This may fail.

❌ Personal:
I believe strongly…

✅ Academic:
It is believed that…

✅ 10. Teaching Distancing (Methodology)


For your classes, ‫ استاد‬Zekarya:

Step 1

Show direct vs distanced.

Step 2
Teach forms:

 seem / appear
 passive reporting
 apparently
 according to
 may / might

Step 3

Practice rewriting.

Step 4

Apply in TOEFL writing & speaking.

✅ 11. Practice Model for Students


Make these distanced:

1. He is wrong.
2. The plan failed.
3. People think she left.

Answers:

1. He seems to be mistaken.
2. The plan appears to have failed.
3. It is thought that she has left.

✅ Final Key Message


👉 Distancing is grammar of attitude, not time.

It controls:

 politeness,
 formality,
 objectivity,
 and safety of communication.

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