1. Some of his pictures seem to be close to what's happening now.
2. Some of his pictures seem close to what's happening now.
3. Some of his pictures seem to be close to the thing which is happening now.
4. Some of his pictures seem to be close to the things which are happening now.
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Are they all interchangeable?
Can we omit 'to be' after 'seem'?
What is the part of speech of 'close'? Is 'close' an adjective or an adverb?
Is 'what' a relative pronoun?
1 and 2 are fine. 3 and 4 are wordy; you don't need "the thing which" or "the things which" because "what's" takes care of that.
Remember -- wordiness is not a good thing in English!
1. Some of his pictures seem to be close to what's happening now.
2. Some of his pictures seem close to what's happening now.
3. Some of his pictures seem to be close to the thing which is happening now.
4. Some of his pictures seem to be close to the things which are happening now.
These sentences can be understood to have similar meanings, but there are slight differences in their structure and emphasis.
Regarding the omission of 'to be' after 'seem,' it is grammatically correct to omit it in this context. Both "seem to be" and "seem" can be used interchangeably. The addition of 'to be' adds a sense of continuity or ongoing aspect, but it is not necessary for the sentence to convey the meaning.
The word 'close' in these sentences is functioning as an adjective modifying the noun 'pictures.' It describes the proximity or similarity of the pictures to the current events happening now.
The word 'what' in these sentences is a relative pronoun introducing a relative clause. It is used to refer to the current events happening now, which the pictures are close to. It connects the dependent clause to the main clause, providing additional information or context.