Free worksheet
Try the quiz
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
George thought he was witnessing a crime and Phil thought a town in India was quiet until he came across an exciting festival. Learn how to use 'seem', 'it was as if' and 'it was as though' when you see something happening and you're not sure what's going on.
_____________
Grammar explanation
'seem' + adjective
We can use this structure to give a general impression of something that may turn out to be untrue.
- The jacket seemed black, but when I got closer, I saw that it was dark blue.
- She seems grumpy today, but maybe she's just tired.
- The box seems light, but it's actually very heavy.
'seem' + like + clause or noun phrase
We can use this structure for a more specific or detailed interpretation of what's going on.
- It seemed like someone was trying to fix the coffee machine when I went to the kitchen earlier.
- I couldn't hear what she was saying, but it seemed like she was angry about something.
- It was a mistake to wear shorts on a cold day, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
subject + verb e.g. be/feel/look/seem + as if/as though + clause
We can use this structure to give your impression of what's going on, which often turns out to be untrue.
- I saw them changing their clothes. It was as though they were trying to hide something they'd done.
- Dark clouds were coming in. It seemed as if it was about to rain, but then it didn't.
- I was really ill over the weekend. I felt as though I was going to be sick, but luckily I didn't.
To do
Test yourself using the quiz.
NEXT
Practise your listening and learn how to tell stories with Our Stories
Try some of our other grammar programmes
Find all our latest programmes
ሐድሽ ፓድካስትታት ተመልከት Learning English Grammar
Stories from the past
Episode 260310 / 10 Mar 2026
Learn language to use to tell stories from the past
An interesting sight
Episode 260303 / 03 Mar 2026
Learn language to use when you see something happening and you're not sure what's going on
What have you been up to?
Episode 260203 / 03 Feb 2026
This week, Beth's been decorating her house and Neil's been to a party!
Predicting the future
Episode 251007 / 07 Oct 2025
What's the difference between 'will' and 'going to'?
Hobbies we enjoy doing
Episode 250930 / 30 Sep 2025
Do you 'learn to play' or 'learn playing' a musical instrument?
Things we collect
Episode 250923 / 23 Sep 2025
What's the difference between 'loads of' and 'lots of'?
Regrets
Episode 250916 / 16 Sep 2025
Learn to talk about your regrets using wish, the third conditional and more
Reminiscing
Episode 250909 / 01 Aug 2025
Learn how to use would, used to and the past simple to talk about your memories
Preferences
Episode 250902 / 02 Sep 2025
What's the difference between prefer, would prefer and would rather?
To-do lists
Episode 250826 / 26 Aug 2025
What's the difference between 'need to do' and 'needs doing'?
