Tend To / Seem To / Appear To

Prices tend to rise during the holiday season.

Notice

  • Prices tend to rise during the holiday season.
  • He seems to know a lot about history.
  • The company appears to be struggling financially.
  • People tend to remember bad experiences more than good ones.

Rule

Tend to + base verb describes a general pattern or habit, softer than ‘always’. Seem to / appear to + base verb soften a claim based on impression rather than certain fact — useful for hedging when you’re not 100% sure.

Practice

  1. Soften: ‘Young people are always on their phones.’ (tend to)
    Answer: Young people tend to be on their phones a lot.
  2. Soften: ‘He is tired.’ (seem to, based on impression)
    Answer: He seems to be tired.
  3. Soften: ‘The plan will fail.’ (appear to)
    Answer: The plan appears likely to fail. / The plan doesn’t appear to be working.
  4. Explain the difference between ‘He is nervous’ and ‘He seems nervous’.
    Answer: ‘He is nervous’ states it as fact; ‘He seems nervous’ softens it to an impression, not a certainty.

Connect

Practise softening statements with tend to / seem to / appear to.

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CEFR: Spoken Interaction — express opinions with appropriate caution and nuance.

Azizul Hakim
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