CSch ents seem | appear 1 Tt seems / appears (that) there isa direct relation between your positon in the family and your personality. ‘The new head of department seems / appears to be quite friendly Excuse me. There seems to be a mistake with the bil. 2 It would seem / appear (that) Mr Young haci been using the ‘company’s assets to pay ofthis private debts. 1 We often use seem and appear to give information without stating that we definitely know itis true, and in this way distancing ‘ourselves from the information ‘Wecan use It seems /appears-+ that + clause, or subject + seem / ‘appear + infinitive. We use It would seem / appear + that + clause to distance us even farther from the information, and to make it sound less sure. This is more formal than It seems / appears ‘The passive with verbs of saying and reporti 7 tis said that using a washing machine saves people on average 47 minutesa day thas been announced by a White House spokesman that the President has been taken to hospital. 2 The company director is expected to resign in the next few days. ‘The missing couple are understood to have been living in Panama for the last five years. 3 There are thought to be over a thousand species in danger of extinction. 7 ‘Another way of distancing ourselves from the facts, especially in formal ‘vritten English, is 10 use the passive form of verbs like say, think, ete. to introduce them. We ean use: 1 It+ passive verb + that + cause «+ Verbs commonly used in this pattern are: agree, announce, believe, expect, hope, report, say, suggest, think, and understand. 2 subject + passive verb + f0 + infinitive ‘Verbs commonly used in this pattern are believe, expect, report, say, think, and understand. ‘There can also be used + passive verb + t0+ infinitive. Compare: I is said that there are more than five million people living in poverty in this country. “There are said to be more than five million people living in poverty in this country ‘other distancing expression apparently, according to, may | might 1 Apparently, Maurice and Ywette have separated 2 According to new research, the idea that we have to drink two litres of water a day isa myth 3 Dinosaurs may have died out due to extremely rapid climate change. ‘There are rumours that the band, who disbanded in the late 80s, | _might be planing to reform and record a new album 1 We can ase apparently (usually either at the beginning or the end cof a phrase) to mean that we have heard / read something, but that it may not be true. Ths is very common in informal conversation. 2. We ean use according to to specify where information has ‘come from, We use it to attribute opinions to somebody else (NOT According tome). 3. Using may / might also suggests that something is a possibility, Dut not necessarily true ‘Complete the sentences with one word to distance the speaker from the information. Sometimes there is more than one possibility “Apparently, Lisa and Dani are going to get married. Have you heaed anything? 1 It that the less children sleep, the more ikely they are fo behave badly i ‘appear that someone has been stealing personal items from the changing rooms. Mark. to have aged a lot over the last yest. 4 He may not look it, but he is___to be one of the wealthiest people in the country. to some sources, the latest research is seriously awed. Despite the fact that there will be an autopsy; his death rn have been from natural causes. are thought to be several reasons why the species died out 8 ‘The missing couple are believed financial difficulties, nis understood the near future. have had, the minister will be resigning in Rewrite the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, People say that eating garlic stops you catching colds It's said shat eating garlic stops you catching cols. Apparently, people who work night shifts die younger. Iewould Iris possible thatthe prisoners escaped to France, ‘The prisoners may — E 3. We expect thatthe Prime Minister will make a statement this afternoon, “The Prime Minister is 4 "The company has announced that the new deug will goon sale shortly u People believe that impovements in diet and lifestyle are responsible for the rise i life expectancy. Inyprovements in diet and lifestyle —_— ‘The manual says you have to charge the phone for atleast 12 hours According. It appears thatthe government is intending to lower interest rates The government People have suggested that the painting isa fake. nr It seems that there are more cyclists around than there used to be. There ‘MultiROM [Link]/englishfle/advanced