Describing how something looks or seems is one of the most practical skills in everyday English. Whether you're watching a soccer game, looking at a photo, or observing someone's behavior, knowing how to express your interpretation accurately makes your communication more natural and fluid. The key lies in mastering three verbs — appear, seem, and look — and understanding when to pair them with like or that.
How do you use seem, appear, and look with like and that?
These three verbs allow you to express what something appears to be based on your observation or interpretation. The important rule is knowing which connector — like or that — fits correctly depending on the subject of the sentence.
What happens when the subject is it?
When you start the sentence with it, you have full flexibility. You can use either like or that with no change in meaning [0:52]:
- It seems like she didn't get enough sleep.
- It seems that she didn't get enough sleep.
- It appeared like they were going to win the game.
- It appeared that they were going to win the game.
Both options are equally valid. Neither is more formal nor more common than the other — they are completely interchangeable when the subject is it [2:07].
What changes when using personal pronouns like she, he, or they?
When the subject is a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they), you can only use like after seem or appear. Using that in this case is incorrect [1:12]:
- Correct: She seems like she didn't get enough sleep.
- Incorrect: She seems that she didn't get enough sleep.
- Correct: They appeared like they were going to win the game.
- Incorrect: They appeared that they were going to win the game.
This is a critical distinction that many learners miss. Remember: personal pronoun + seem/appear + like is the only correct pattern.
Why does look only work with like?
The verb look follows a stricter rule. Regardless of whether the subject is it or a personal pronoun, look pairs exclusively with like [3:07]:
- Your family looks like they know how to have a good time.
- It looked like he was going to make it over.
Saying "your family looks that they know how to have a good time" would be grammatically wrong. This makes look the simplest of the three verbs to remember — always use like, never that.
How can you practice these structures in real situations?
A great way to internalize these patterns is by describing what you observe in images, videos, or daily life. Here are examples based on real-world observations [3:26]:
- It seems like he was going to make it over, but he didn't.
- It appeared that he didn't think this through.
- He looks like he didn't think this through.
The expression "think this through" means to carefully consider all aspects of a decision before acting. Notice how all three verbs deliver the same meaning — you simply choose the one that feels most natural to you.
Here is a quick reference to keep things clear:
- Seem + like: works with all subjects.
- Seem + that: works only with it.
- Appear + like: works with all subjects.
- Appear + that: works only with it.
- Look + like: works with all subjects.
- Look + that: never correct.
Mastering these small but essential differences will make your English sound significantly more polished. Try describing something you see right now using all three verbs and share your sentences in the comments!
