1. What impersonal hedging means
A hedge signals that the writer is not presenting a conclusion as an absolute fact. Personal hedges name the speaker: I think, we suspect, in my view. Impersonal hedges leave the speaker out: It appears that…, There seems to be…, The data seem to… In academic and business writing, this creates an impression of objectivity by presenting a conclusion as an observation rather than a personal position.
An impersonal hedge does not prove anything by itself or make weak evidence stronger. It expresses the writer's stance without specifying an exact numerical degree of confidence. This lesson concerns constructions whose framing itself conveys caution. Combinations of modals and adverbs (may well, could possibly) and intensifiers (clearly, undeniably) belong to related lessons. Here the focus is on the frame's form, tense, agreement, and the limits of the conclusion.
It appears that the new timetable has reduced late arrivals.
It appears that the new timetable has reduced late arrivals.
The writer is not named: the conclusion is presented as a cautious observation.
Commuters seem to prefer the earlier train.
Commuters seem to prefer the earlier train.
The subject commuters comes first, while seem to makes the generalisation cautious.
2. It seems / appears that + clause
The most common frame consists of dummy subject it, a verb expressing an impression (seem or appear), and a that-clause: It seems that…, It appears that… After that comes an ordinary declarative clause with its own subject, predicate, and tense. The facts determine that tense, not seems. That can often be omitted without changing the meaning: It seems the plan failed.
Seem and appear are almost interchangeable; appear sounds slightly more formal. It would seem that / It would appear that is more cautious still and is characteristic of academic writing. The hybrid It seems to be that + clause is not one of the standard frames and is avoided in formal writing: choose It seems that… or subject + seems to be…, depending on the structure needed. Tend does not take a that-clause; it is discussed below.
It + seems / appears / would seem / would appear + (that) + subject + predicate
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
It seems that the survey was sent to the wrong group.
It seems that the survey was sent to the wrong group.
A complete past-tense clause follows that. The event is in the past even though seems is in the present.
It would seem that several parcels were damaged in transit.
It would seem that several parcels were damaged in transit.
Would seem adds a further degree of caution without changing the clause structure.
3. Subject + seem / appear / tend to
Instead of it, use the actual subject: The figures seem to…, The report appears to… The verb agrees with that subject, not with it: The figures seem, but The report appears. A to-infinitive follows. This can be shorter than It seems that the figures…; both constructions are natural, and the choice depends on the emphasis needed.
To express a tendency, tend takes a to-infinitive: Prices tend to rise. It describes a pattern that occurs often but not always, and it does not take a that-clause: It tends that… is not possible. A useful distinction is that seem and appear express an impression based on particular evidence, while tend describes usual behaviour or an inclination. Replacing always with tend turns a claim into a tendency rather than a universal rule.
Subject + seem(s)/appear(s)/tend(s) + to + verb
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
Younger readers tend to skim the headings.
Younger readers tend to skim the headings.
Tend describes a tendency within a group, not an individual occurrence.
The two samples appear to differ in density.
The two samples appear to differ in density.
Appear agrees with the plural subject samples.
4. There seems / appears to be…
To report cautiously that something exists, use there: There seems to be…, There appear to be… The noun phrase after to be names what exists. In formal writing, seem/appear agrees with this phrase: There seems to be a problem, but There seem to be several problems.
There does not introduce a that-clause: There seems that… is not a standard frame. If a complete clause follows the verb, use it: It seems that a mistake was made. To name the item itself as the subject, use subject + seem to: A mistake seems to have been made.
There + seem(s)/appear(s) + to be + noun phrase
- NP / noun phrase —
- A noun phrase: a noun with its dependent words, such as the new student; the pattern treats it as one group of words.
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
There seems to be some confusion about the deadline.
There seems to be some confusion about the deadline.
Some confusion is an indefinite singular noun phrase, so use seems.
There appear to be two plausible explanations.
There appear to be two plausible explanations.
Explanations is plural, so use appear without -s.
5. Time: to have + V3 and to be + -ing
Seem and appear can be in the present while the event is placed in the past or presented as ongoing. The perfect infinitive expresses earlier time: The pilot scheme seems to have improved attendance. To be + -ing expresses an ongoing action: The market appears to be recovering. Simple to improve would indicate that improvement occurs or represents a general pattern.
In the meaning “give an impression”, seem and appear are not usually used in the continuous. The neutral form is The scheme seems effective. Other forms are possible in some contexts involving a changing impression, but use the ordinary form for this lesson. Seemed / appeared places the moment of assessment in the past.
V3 is the past participle (improved, gone), and V-ing is the form ending in -ing (recovering). To have improved marks an earlier event; to be recovering marks a process in progress at the time of assessment.
seem(s)/appear(s) + to have + V3 | seem(s)/appear(s) + to be + V-ing
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
- V-ing / -ing —
- The verb form ending in -ing: working, going. Its role depends on the construction.
The pilot scheme seems to have improved attendance.
The pilot scheme seems to have improved attendance.
The perfect infinitive indicates that the improvement occurred before the moment of assessment.
The market appears to be recovering slowly.
The market appears to be recovering slowly.
To be recovering presents a process that is ongoing now.
6. Adjective frames and frames without a named source
Caution can also be built into another impersonal frame. With an adjective: It is likely/probable/possible/plausible/conceivable/arguable that… The adjective presents the proposition as possible or plausible: It is likely that rents will rise next spring. After it is, use an adjective, not an adverb: It is possibly that is incorrect. Impersonal frames with strong adjectives such as clear or undeniable strengthen a claim rather than hedge it and belong to a related lesson.
Frames such as One might argue that… and It could be argued that… do not name a particular person as the source of the view. Sometimes the information itself is the subject: The evidence suggests that…, The survey indicates that…, These findings imply that… These verbs propose a conclusion rather than prove it; shows, proves, or demonstrates would sound stronger. Frames with a named source (Smith claims) belong to a separate lesson on distancing through reporting verbs.
It is likely/probable/possible/plausible/conceivable/arguable that… | One might argue that… | The evidence suggests/indicates/implies that…
It is likely that rents will rise next spring.
It is likely that rents will rise next spring.
The adjective likely hedges the claim, and a complete clause follows that.
One might argue that the earlier schedule was unrealistic.
One might argue that the earlier schedule was unrealistic.
The frame does not identify who holds this view.
The evidence suggests that smaller classes help younger pupils.
The evidence suggests that smaller classes help younger pupils.
The subject evidence leaves out the writer, while suggests presents the conclusion cautiously.
7. Match caution to the evidence: register and negation
Hedging should match the evidence. State an established fact, such as a date on a signed document, directly; adding a hedge can imply uncertainty where there is none. Conversely, piling would, could, perhaps, and seem into one sentence (It would seem that it could perhaps appear…) makes the idea vague. One frame per claim is enough.
Not every hedge with seem leaves out the writer. It seems to me that… brings the speaker back in, so it is a personal hedge. Also watch the scope of negation: The results do not seem to support the hypothesis cautiously reports a lack of support for that hypothesis. The results seem not to support… and It seems that the results do not support… are almost equivalent. It seems that the hypothesis is wrong, however, claims that the hypothesis itself is false, rather than merely unsupported. Do not change what is negated when restructuring the frame.
The results do not seem to support the original hypothesis.
The results do not seem to support the original hypothesis.
Negation with seem to support cautiously reports an absence of support.
It seems to me that the plan needs more time.
It seems to me that the plan needs more time.
To me brings the writer into the text, making the frame personal rather than impersonal.
8. From a sentence to a paragraph
In connected writing, vary the strength of your claims. State an established fact directly, frame an intermediate conclusion with seem/appear, use tend to for a generalisation, and state the limits of the evidence separately. Not every sentence needs a hedge: excessive caution weakens precise statements.
Before answering, identify three things: what is known, what only appears to be the case, and what information is missing. Then choose a suitable frame for each part. In independent practice, you may invent a context. If the task supplies facts, preserve them and choose appropriate hedging for those facts.
The council extended library hours in March. Visitor numbers appear to have risen since then, although it is too early to say whether the rise will last.
The council extended library hours in March. Visitor numbers appear to have risen since then, although it is too early to say whether the rise will last.
The fact is stated directly, the outcome cautiously, and the limit of the conclusion is stated separately.
Staff tend to book the larger meeting rooms first. There seems to be no clear reason for this, and a short survey could help.
Staff tend to book the larger meeting rooms first. There seems to be no clear reason for this, and a short survey could help.
Tend to expresses a pattern, while there seems to be reports the absence of an explanation.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:It tends that sales fall in January.
Correct:Sales tend to fall in January.
Tend does not take a that-clause: put the subject first and express the event with an infinitive.
Incorrect:There seems that a mistake was made in the report.
Correct:It seems that a mistake was made in the report.
Before a that-clause, use impersonal it; there seems requires to be + a noun phrase.
Incorrect:The results seems to support the claim.
Correct:The results seem to support the claim.
The verb agrees with the plural subject results, not with it.
Incorrect:There seems to be many reasons for the delay.
Correct:There seem to be many reasons for the delay.
In formal writing, the verb after there agrees with the plural phrase many reasons.
Incorrect:It appears to that the delay was caused by weather.
Correct:It appears that the delay was caused by weather.
There is no to between appears and that: the it appears frame leads directly into a that-clause.
Incorrect:The treatment appears reduce pain.
Correct:The treatment appears to reduce pain.
In this pattern, appears requires a to-infinitive: to reduce. To emphasise the ongoing process, say appears to be reducing pain.