Academic English for Business (AEB)
Hedging
In academic writing you need to make it clear when you are expressing a claim or opinion as opposed to a fact. The best way of doing this is to distance yourself to some extent from the claim by ‘hedging’ (i.e. using less direct language in order to make your views more measured and cautious).
- There are a number of hedging techniques. Examples of them are :
1. The use of hedging verbs as appearand tend.
e.g. British shoppers do not appear to carewhere their food comes from as long as it is cheap.
2. The use of hedging adverbs such as arguably and fairly.
e.g. Internet Protocol Television is arguably the most interesting new media development.
3. Using that clauses to hedge.
e.g. It is widely accepted thatthe Athenians of Ancient Greece formed the world’s first democracy.
4. The use of the language of probability.
e.g. We may require a different model of social mobility if we are to establish a truly egalitarian society.
5. The use of hedging expressions.
e.g. On balance, patients require years of support before they can overcome post-traumatic stress.
HEDGING VERBS
TASK A
- Rewrite the sentences on the next page as hedged statements, using the words in brackets and making any other changes necessary.
1. It has been stated that 25% of homeless adults suffer from some form of mental illness.
(estimated)
2. The practice of short selling brought about the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
(contributed)
3. Drought is the major problem in some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
(appears)
4. The report concludes that in some parts of the country bipolar disorder is being overdiagnosed.
(indicates)
HEDGING ADVERBS
Below are a selection of adverbs that you can use to express a degree of doubt:
Apparently, approximately, arguably, reasonably, relatively, reportedly, supposedly, typically, not necessarily.
TASK B: Work with a partner and discuss which of the adverbs above you use. Try to give example sentences. This website can help you – https://skell.sketchengine.co.uk/run.cgi/skell
Notes:
TASK C: Circle the most appropriate option.
1. The US economy grew fairly/slightly/approximately faster in the first quarter than was expected.
2. The transition from prison life to ordinary society is fairly/quite/relatively a difficult one.
3. Groundnut oil is similar in character but approximately/quite/rather more expensive than grapeseed oil.
4. Third-year undergraduate courses typically/ fairly/ usually cover less ground in greater depth than the first two years.
USING THAT CLAUSES
You can use several types of impersonal that clause to distance yourself from an argument or point of view. Note that the phrases below are only ‘semi-fixed’ in that you can, for example, change a verb such as suggest to show or indicate.
1. It…that…
Using It… allows you to avoid phrases such as I would argue that… Below are some examples of ways to open your sentences.
It is widely accepted that
It has been argued
It is possible to argue that …
It has been suggested
It seems fair to say
2. Reference to studies, etc
The latest research appears to show/ indicate
Studies show/have shown
The evidence suggests that…
Statistics have demonstrated that
Published sources indicate
Note that with the expressions above you would need to support the ideas expressed with reference to actual statistics, published works etc.
Also, would is sometimes used as an additional hedging device to with verbs such as appear, argue, assume, seem and suggest.
TASK D: Correct the mistakes in the sentences.
1. It seems fair conclude that private finance initiatives (PFIs) in the public sector have suffered in some instances from poor project management.
2. The evidences would suggest that stricter regulation of online loan companies is required.
3. It has been argue that the process of globalization should ultimately reduce global inequalities.
4. It has widely accepted that a good reputation is one of the most important assets that a company possesses.
TASK E: Read the information in the brackets and hedge the sentences where necessary.
Homework
More Homework
Read this text about students at a Hong Kong university, identify the parts which are too strong and need hedging, and rewrite it using hedging expressions and academic English.
Let’s now talk about the data in Figure 1. First and foremost, it’s crystal clear that students don’t have many opportunities to speak English outside the classroom. You can tell this because all the means are under 3.00. Clearly, PolyU students don’t have any need to speak to parents, etc. in English. This is undoubtedly because their family members are Cantonese speakers. Obviously, there’s no point in speaking English when everyone can speak Cantonese. As you can see, PolyU students never speak to their grandparents in English. This is not surprising because, as we all know, old people in Hong Kong can’t speak English. That’s because the education system wasn’t very good in the past. You can see, though, that there are a few situations (overseas holidays and so on) where students do get a golden opportunity to use their English, even though this is not really very often. In a nutshell, then, the data in Figure 1 prove that PolyU students don’t speak English much outside the classroom.
Adapted from http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/hedging.htm
Answers
Task 4 Let’s now talk about the data in Figure 1. First and foremost, it’s crystal clear that students don’t have many opportunities to speak English outside the classroom. You can tell this because all the means are under 3.00. Clearly, PolyU students don’t have any need to speak to parents, etc. in English. This is undoubtedly because their family members are Cantonese speakers. Obviously, there’s no point in speaking English when everyone can speak Cantonese. As you can see, PolyU students never speak to their grandparents in English. This is not surprising because, as we all know, old people in Hong Kong can’t speak English. That’s because the education system wasn’t very good in the past. You can see, though, that there are a few situations (overseas holidays and so on) where students do get a golden opportunity to use their English, even though this is not really very often. In a nutshell, then, the data in Figure 1 prove that PolyU students don’t speak English much outside the classroom
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