General English C1 · Lesson 5A

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

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Grammar focus of this lesson

distancing

1 structure

Distancing
Putting space between you and the claim — the language of caution.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›Passive reporting: It is thought / claimed / understood that…
- ›seem / appear + to-infinitive: The results appear to contradict the model.
- ›Past forms for tentativeness: I was hoping you might…
- ›Vague quantifiers and hedges: reportedly, allegedly, some might argue.
Examples
- “It would seem that the forecast was over-optimistic.”
- “The delay is understood to have been avoidable.”
- “I was wondering whether we could revisit clause six.”
Watch out · Overuse reads as evasive — distance the contested claims only.
Your own example