Hedging Language

In academic writing, arguments or claim are often expressed in cautious or tentative language to
be sure the claims are as accurate and proportionate to the evidence as possible. This is known as
‘hedging’ language.
Because there are many hedging words and phrases, it is important to choose one that reflects the
strength of the supporting evidence

For Example:
 The fire was probably cause by a fault in the engine temperature gauge.
 The fire could have been caused by a fault in the engine temperature gauge.
The first example indicates that the evidence is fairly strong, while the second example indicates
the evidence is weak.
Hedging language could also help to reduce criticism of your or other authors’ work.
For Example:
 Johnson (2007) appears to ignore the adverse psychological side-effects of this approach.
 The risks of the new vaccine may have been overstated.

A wide range of words and phrases can be used in hedging:

 Modal auxiliary verbs:

can, could, may, might, should, would

For Example:
Such a measure might be more sensitive to changes in health after specialist treatment.

 Other modal lexical verbs used to doubt and evaluate:

appear, look, seem, tend, suggest, propose, speculate

For Example:
In spite of its limitations, the study seems to have a number of important strengths

 Probability adjectives:
likely, possible, probable, unlikely

For Example:
It is likely to result in failure

 Probability adverbs:
perhaps, possibly, probably, presumably, apparently, virtually
 For Example:
There is, perhaps, a good reason why she chose to write in the first person.

 Approximations of degree, quantity, frequency and time:

generally, usually, often, occasionally, seldom, approximately, roughly, about, somewhat,

For Example:
Fever is present in about a third of cases.

 If Clauses:
If true, if anything, whether X is true

For Example:
If true, Johnson’s (2007) study contradicts the myth that men make better managers than
women.

 Compound Hedges:
Seems reasonable, looks probably, appears likely, would indicate, may suggest

For Example:
Johnson’s (2007) study appears to indicate that the risk of vaccine outweighs the
benefits.

Note: If you’re not sure how to use these words and phrases correctly in a sentence, please
consult an instructor from the English Language Centre or a well-trusted grammar book

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Adapted by Elvira Perrella for the English Language Centre at Royal Roads University from
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/learning/language/hedging.htm