Grammar

Distancing
Distancing
distancing expressions are often used, particularly in journalism
(news) where a writer wants to stress that:
the information is second-hand
it comes from a specific source or sources (not from their own
knowledge/ opinion)
e.g. It is said that (the writer is not sure of the sources)
seem/appear
We often use seem/appear to give information without stating that
we definitely know it is true, in this way distancing ourselves from
the information.
It seems / appears + that + clause
e.g. It seems that when people multitask, they in fact do one thing
after another in quick succession.
subject + seem / appear + to + infinitive
e.g. The new teacher seems to be very friendly
appear is slightly more formal than seem
would
we use It would seem / appear + that + clause to distance ourselves
even further from the information, making it sound even less sure.
e.g. It would seem / appear Mr Young had been using the companys
asset to pay off his private debts.
this is more formal than it seems/appears.
The passive with verbs of saying and
reporting
We also use the passive form to distance ourselves from the facts.
We can use :
It + passive verb + that + clause
It is said that using a washing machine saves people on average 47 minutes a
day.
subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
The company director is expected to resign in the next few days.
there + passive verb + to + infinitive
There are said to be more than five million people living in poverty in this
country.
Other expressions: apparently, according to
Apparently = we have heard / read something, but that it may not
be true.
e.g. Apparently, Jeff and Katie have separated.
According to = to specify where information has come from
e.g. According to new research, the idea that we have to drink 2
litres of water a day is a myth.
may/might = possible (maybe)
e.g. Dinosaurs may have died out due to climate change.