THE LANGUAGE OF HEDGING – PART TWO


Hedging as a Grammatical Form

Task One
To help build your knowledge of hedging language look at the table below with examples already given. Now look at the words immediately below and decide which category they should go into. Drag and drop the words where you think they belong and then check your answers.


The following are also adverbs: unlikely, likely, approximately, occasionally, and often.

Compound Hedges

In academic writing compound hedges or “strings of hedges” are also commonly used. For example:
This may suggest that …
It would seem quite likely that …

The first example contains two hedging devices - ‘may’ and ‘suggest’.
The second example contains four hedging devices – ‘would’, ‘seem, ‘quite’ and ‘likely’.

Task Two
Decide how many hedging devices are used in the following phrases and click on the number in the drop-down menu.
1. There is quite a strong likelihood that … 3
2. It would indicate that … 2
3. It seems reasonable to assume that … 3
4. There is some evidence to suggest that … 3
5. It would seem somewhat unlikely that … 4
6. This could possibly point to the reason why … 3
Compound hedges may seriously weaken the strength of your claims, so be careful not to overuse them in your writing.

Error Correction

Task Three
Most of the sentences below contain just one error. Proofread the sentences, try to spot the error in each case and write the correction to that part of the sentence in the box underneath.

1. It has been argued that eating organically grown food likely to improve your health.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
It has been argued that eating organically grown food is likely to improve your health.
2. There is growing evidence suggests that the long-term consumption of sugary and high-calorie foods could lead to a variety of quite serious health problems.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
There is growing evidence that suggests that the long-term consumption of sugary and high-calorie foods could lead to a variety of quite serious health problems.
3. Diets intended to improve one’s health fall often short of expectations.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
Diets intended to improve one’s health often fall often short of expectations.


4. One possible reason is that patients with diabetes may be develop retinopathy.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
One possible reason is that patients with diabetes may be develop retinopathy.


5. Excessive or ‘binge’ drinking often is the cause of aggressive behaviour among young men.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
Excessive or ‘binge’ drinking often is often the cause of aggressive behaviour among young men.


6. These differences maybe due to the lack of adequate sleep among some of the participants.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
These differences may be due to the lack of adequate sleep among some of the participants.
7. Although most of students seemed keen to interact with each other online, the quality of the interaction was rather superficial.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
Although most of students seemed keen to interact with each other online, the quality of the interaction was rather superficial.


8. The evidences seem to indicate that academic exchanges enhance students’ language skills.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
The evidences seem evidence seems to indicate that academic exchanges enhance students’ language skills.


9. According to some experts, practising yoga every day can reduce the likelihood to get ill.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
According to some experts, practising yoga every day can reduce the likelihood of getting ill.
10. There was a tendency that some consumers reacted negatively to the delays in delivery.
 
Your Answer:
Answer:
There was a tendency that for some consumers to reacted negatively to the delays in delivery.
Now go on to Part Three – Practise Hedging in your Writing – where you will have the opportunity to put everything you have learned about hedging into practice.
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