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    Hedging

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    Andrea Mihaljević

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    Hedging

    Uploaded by

    Andrea Mihaljević
    9 views10 pages

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    9 views10 pages

    Hedging

    Uploaded by

    Andrea Mihaljević

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 10

    HEDGING

    In academic writing you need to make it clear when you are expressing a
    claim or opinion as opposed to a fact.
    hedging – using less direct language in order to make your views more
    measured and cautious
    Hedging techniques
    1. Hedging verbs (e.g. appear, seem…)
    2. Hedging adverbs (e.g. apparently, arguably…)
    3. Using that clauses (e.g. It is widely accepted that…)
    4. Expressing probability (e.g. can, may…)
    5. Hedging expressions (e.g. as a rule, to some extent…)
    1. Hedging verbs
    a) appear, seem, look
    People appear/seem to enjoy the autonomy of arranging their own
    holidays. or
    It appears/seems that people enjoy…
    It looks/appears/looks as if an agreement between the two sides will be
    reached at the summit in November.
    b) tend
    Supporters of the Encyclopedia Britannica tend to claim that the quality of
    their trained staff ensures a higher standard of research than that of
    Wikipedia.
    c) suggest, indicate, estimate
    A 2005 study by the journal nature, however, suggested/indicated that
    although the structure of some scientific material in Wikipedia was poor, its
    accuracy was similar to that of Encyclopedia Britannica.

    d) contribute (to), help (to)


    Most commentators agree that deregulation contributed to the banking
    crisis of 2008.
    2. Hedging adverbs
    (used to reduce the certainty of your statement or make your meaning less extreme)

    a) apparently, arguably, reasonably, relatively, reportedly, supposedly, typically etc.


    The fact that a word is apparently untranslatable does not necessarily
    mean that it should be left in the original language.
    Bolivia’s mountains have rendered it relatively safe from invasion.
    b) slightly, fairly, quite, rather
    American and Canadian footballs may look the same, but the sizes are
    slightly different.
    c) sometimes, normally, usually
    A specification for a new post is usually written by the new employee’s line
    manager.
    3. Using that clauses
    (used to distance yourself from an argument or a point of view)

    a) It … that
    It is widely accepted that …
    It has been argued that …
    b) Reference to studies etc.
    Studies have shown that …
    Evidence suggests that …
    c) Reference to other people
    Most people agree that …
    Some economists argue that …
    4. Expressing probability
    a) can, may, might, could
    There can be a number of reasons why a particular group of people resist new
    scientific theories.
    The patients could have recovered more quickly if they had been counselling
    as well as medication.
    b) should, likely, unlikely
    People who take no exercise and eat a great deal of ‘junk food’ are likely to
    become obese.
    The very small quantity of oil that escaped from the tanker is unlikely to have
    harmed the local marine life.
    The clean-up of the rice fields contaminated by salt during the tsunami
    should be completed soon.
    5. Hedging expressions
    on balance, as a rule/in principle, to some extent/up to a point, in some/many
    respects, in a/one sense, more or less …

    The great advantage of promoting educational courses on the Internet


    rather than by brochures is that web pages can be updated more or less instantly.
    In many respects football should be regarded as a business rather than a
    sport, at least as far as the major clubs are concerned.
    References
    Paterson, K. & Wedge, R. (2013) Oxford Grammar for EAP. English
    Grammar and Practice for Academic Purposes. Oxford: OUP, pp. 124 – 129.

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