12月9日号：Using seem

English has some verbs that do not describe actions. Instead, these verbs describe the subject. These are called linking verbs. Some examples of linking verbs are be, look, sound and feel.

Seem is also a linking verb and has many different uses in English. Today, let’s take a look at how we use seem to describe our feelings and impressions.

Seem can be used to talk about how something appears. We can use seem with adjectives, verbs and nouns.

With adjectives, we use seem + adjective. For example:

◆ She seems nice.

◆ That restaurant seemed crowded.

◆ Going to Paris seems romantic.

◆ This movie doesn’t seem very interesting.

When using seem + adjective, we tend to use adjectives that describe qualities or characteristics. However, some speakers feel that seem sounds strange with adjectives that describe states. For example:

▲ He seems married.

▲ The baby seems awake.

Instead, many people will say seem to be + (state).

◆ He seems to be married.

◆ The baby seems to be awake.

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英会話イーオン東京本社教務課コーディネーター。イーオン教師のトレーニングや英語セミナーを企画制作するカリスマ教師として活躍中。カリフォルニア大学バークレー校卒業。趣味は読書、料理、クラフトワーク。