C1

S + seem/appear/claim/pretend + to have + V3

to have V3 — nguyên thể hoàn thành

Explanation

Nguyên thể hoàn thành cho biết việc trong nguyên thể xảy ra TRƯỚC động từ chính.

So sánh

he seems to be ill là bây giờ, he seems to have been ill là trước đó. Dạng bị động là to have been V3, dạng tiếp diễn là to have been V-ing. Bẫy thường gặp: Không lùi thì động từ chính thay vì dùng nguyên thể hoàn thành: She seemed to forget the meeting yesterday ✗ (nghĩa khác), She seems to have forgotten it ✓.

Examples

She seems to have forgotten the meeting.

Có vẻ cô ấy đã quên buổi họp.

He claims to have been abroad at the time.

Ông ta khẳng định lúc đó mình đang ở nước ngoài.

The file appears to have been deleted.

Tập tin đó có vẻ đã bị xoá.

They pretended not to have heard the question.

Họ giả vờ như đã không nghe thấy câu hỏi.

Practice

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Learn “S + seem/appear/claim/pretend + to have + V3” effectively

The grammar point “S + seem/appear/claim/pretend + to have + V3” (to have V3 — nguyên thể hoàn thành) is one of the key structures at CEFR 5. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.

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