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would seem to vs that seemed to

Both "would seem to" and "that seemed to" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Would seem to" is used to express a tentative or hypothetical situation, while "that seemed to" is used to describe something that appeared to be true in the past.

Last updated: April 01, 2024

would seem to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express a tentative or hypothetical situation.

Use "would seem to" when you want to suggest that something appears to be true or likely, but you are not completely certain.

Examples:

  • He would seem to have a good chance of winning the competition.
  • The solution would seem to be quite simple.
  • It would seem to me that she is not happy with the decision.
  • The plan would seem to be working effectively.
  • She would seem to be the right person for the job.
  • Nevertheless, there would seem to be a need for general clarification.
  • This would seem to be a helpful coincidence giving our endeavours positive and proactive meaning.
  • Prima facie, these conditions would seem to be met.
  • New studies being carried out in several Member States would seem to confirm this opinion.
  • Flavonoids are part of the family of anthocyanins, which would seem to be responsible for potential anti-inflammatory characteristics of strawberries.
  • Those limited conditions, particularly in large and important contracts, would seem to be easily capable of verification.
  • Each of them would seem to have a sad secret.
  • There would seem to be no further comments on the Minutes.
  • Celestine would seem to have been concerned to bridle a rebel political power.
  • This would seem to me to be an extremely constructive approach.
  • Experts would seem to think so.
  • There would seem to be no common ground between these two camps.
  • No. 21 of the Instrumentum laboris would seem to suggest an answer.
  • These scorch marks would seem to support their story.
  • Peter Hawkins's diaries would seem to bear it out, sir.
  • Right, then it would seem to be settled.
  • We followed his roller-coaster ride of success and failure... and now it would seem to be over.
  • This right to be informed would seem to have been violated during the general strike in June 2002 in Spain.
  • In some cases, this basic right of children to schooling would seem to be neglected.
  • It would seem to be appropriate for legislative proposals tabled by individual Members to be referred to the committee responsible for summary preliminary consideration.

Alternatives:

  • appears to
  • seems to
  • looks like
  • might seem to
  • could seem to

that seemed to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe something that appeared to be true in the past.

Use "that seemed to" when you want to talk about something that appeared to be a certain way in the past, but you are not confirming it as a fact.

Examples:

  • The movie that seemed to be interesting turned out to be boring.
  • She made a decision that seemed to be the right one at the time.
  • The problem that seemed to be solved resurfaced later.
  • The book that seemed to be popular was actually not well-received by critics.
  • The situation that seemed to be under control escalated quickly.
  • A cold that seemed to have paralysed even the plain.
  • The only thing that seemed to help him was his painting.
  • The company owned websites that seemed to cater for every conceivable male fantasy.
  • Two different artistic practices that seemed to be made to be reunited.
  • A revelation that seemed to put an end to decades of controversies and indiscretions.
  • It had a geographical signature we've never seen before with a structure that seemed to pierce both space and time.
  • What he received instead was a series of garbled messages that seemed to come from the moon.
  • Well, when I was here with my husband for dinner, I came upon a room that seemed to be some sort of John Malkovich museum.
  • Who was this Leonard Zelig that seemed to diverse impressions everywhere?
  • This was backed up with videos that seemed to show the warlords' followers stuffing the ballot boxes with hundreds of fake voting papers.
  • Google claims six hours of useful battery life, and that seemed to agree with my limited usage.
  • Google punishes Chrome in its search results in response to a promo campaign on blog sites that seemed to encourage low-quality content.
  • In the two divorce trials in which I have been involved, I was aware of persistent personal attacks that seemed to influence the judge's decision.
  • Reestablish a situation that seemed to be lost?
  • However, an episode that seemed to have sprung from the pure imagination of the author, is much more real than believed for decades.
  • The poverty that seemed to belong exclusively to rural communities is beginning to grow in the urban zones of the Mexican Southeast.
  • Upon cutting it open, however, Mikesell found an object inside that seemed to be made of white porcelain.
  • They said they had detected particles that seemed to travel faster than the speed of light.
  • Besides the signs of a scuffle, the only thing that seemed to be missing was the victim's laptop.
  • As they struggled on, we tried to rekindle some of the fun that seemed to have gone missing from our journey.

Alternatives:

  • appeared to
  • looked like
  • seemed like
  • was apparently
  • was seemingly

Related Comparisons

might be able to vs may be able to seem no to vs do not seem to seems not to vs seems to not due to vs ought to seem like vs seem to did not seem vs seems not to

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