Distancing
Language in
English
Grammar
How to speak indirectly,
politely, and formal
What is Distancing
Language?
• Distancing language is a way to:
• - Talk about information indirectly
• - Show that we are not fully certain
• - Report what other people say or believe
• - Sound formal, polite, or careful
• We use it when:
• - We don’t want to say something is definitely true
• - We are reporting opinions, rumors, or second-hand
information
• - We want to avoid sounding too direct or too strong
• Common in: News, Academic writing, Polite
conversation
Why Use Distancing
Language?
• - To avoid saying something is
definitely true
• - To distance yourself from the
information
• - To report opinions or second-
hand information
• - To be formal or polite
Seem / Appear
• Use to give information in a soft,
indirect way
• Structures:
• - It seems / appears that + clause
• - Subject + seems / appears + to + verb
• - It would seem / appear that + clause (more formal)
• Examples:
• - It seems that he’s right.
• - She appears to be confident.
• - It would appear that we made a mistake.
Passive with Verbs of
Saying/Reporting
• Common in formal writing and news
• Structure 1:
• - It + is said / believed / thought + that + clause
• Example: It is said that she knows five languages.
• Structure 2:
• - Subject + is said / believed + to + verb
• Example: She is said to be very talented.
• Past: He is thought to have left.
Verbs Used in This
Structure
• Common verbs:
• - say, believe, think, expect, hope,
suggest, understand, report, announce.
• We can many examples about each one
of them,
• It is said that/ it is believed that/ it is
expected that
• These verbs help make the language
indirect and formal
Other Distancing
Expressions
• 1. Apparently
• - Used to report what you heard or read
• Example: Apparently, they’ve moved./ apparently, they won the game.
• 2. According to - Used to show the source of information
• Example: According to the news, it will rain./according his info, we can move
tomorrow.
• 3. May / Might - Used to suggest something is possible
• Examples:
• - She may be home/ we may lose the game due to lack of time.
• - They might cancel the trip/ we might travel by tomorrow.
Summary
• Distancing grammar helps you:
• - Sound polite and formal
• - Report others' ideas
• - Show you are not 100% certain
• Key phrases:
• - It seems / appears that…
• - It is said / believed that…
• - Apparently, According to, May / Might