Using Seem

It seems as if a lot of students have trouble using the word seem, so today I’d like to show you how we can use this verb in everyday English. There are several grammar patterns using seem, so let’s have a look at them. You can use use seem + adjective. The nuance is “I think~”

• You seem tired today.

You can also use seem + to be + adj. The nuance is more like “It is true in my opinion~”

• You seem to be tired.
• The boss seems to be angry about something.
• Jack seems to be worried about the meeting.

You can use seem like + noun phrase:

• This seems like a nice restaurant.
• Jane’s new boyfriend seems like a nice guy.
• It seems like my dog Happy is hungry again!

You can also use seem to be + noun/gerund:

• I found something in the meeting room that seems to be Jack’s schedule book.
• This seems to be some sort of tool.
• Jack seems to be working hard today.

You can also use There seems to be + noun

• There seems to be a problem with the trains this morning.
• There seems to be a bug in the program.
• There seem to be a lot of places you can rent a bike in NYC these days.

You can use seem + to verb (besides be):

• You seem to like your job.
• Jack seems to know a lot about NYC.
• I can’t seem to find my keys.

Finally, you can use It seems that (or) It seems as if (or) It seems like:

• It seems that we have run out of coffee.
• It seems as if it is going to rain.
• It seems like the boss is in a bad mood.