TASK 1

Emma and Jake have different ways of writing and speaking. Emma is very subjective and
usually over-generalizes but Jake is more objective when looking at things. Who do you
think wrote the following statements? Write in the box below, for instance, 1 sentence-
Emma.
Also, you need to rewrite Emma’s sentences using hedging language.

1. All Turkish pop singers sing about love.

2. It is said that the earthquake was caused by the weather.
3. Generally, the holiday was great.
4. Eating fish and yoghurt will surely lead to stomachache.
5. Dogs often protect their owners.
6. English people always drink tea with milk.
7. Highly intelligent children tend to misbehave due to boredom.
8. Everyone knows how to read and write.

TASK 2
Change these sentences using hedging language and take out any over-general language.

1.All people are afraid of snakes.

_____________________________________________________
2.I will definitely pass the exam.
_____________________________________________________
3.Children always prefer sweets to fruit.
_____________________________________________________
4.Old people find using computers difficult.
_____________________________________________________
5.In the future, e-books will be widely available.
_____________________________________________________
6.The driver was surely drunk.
_____________________________________________________
7.If you smoke, you will have health problems.
_____________________________________________________
8.Nowadays, people are more interested in global politics.
TASK 3
Identify the hedging expressions in the following sentences.
1. There is no difficulty in explaining how a structure such as an eye or a feather contributes
to survival and reproduction; the difficulty is in thinking of a series of steps by which it could
have arisen.
2. For example, it is possible to see that in January this person weighed 60.8 kg for eight
days.
3. For example, it may be necessary for the spider to leave the branch on which it is
standing, climb up the stem, and walk out along another branch.
4. There is experimental work to show that a week or ten days may not be long enough and
a fortnight to three weeks is probably the best theoretical period.
5. Conceivably, different forms, changing at different rates and showing contrasting
combinations of characteristics, were present in different areas.
6. One possibility is that generalized latent inhibition is likely to be weaker than that
produced by pre-exposure to the CS itself and thus is more likely to be susceptible to the effect
of the long interval.
7. For our present purpose, it is useful to distinguish two kinds of chemical reaction,
according to whether the reaction releases energy or requires it.
8. It appears to establish three categories: the first contains wordings generally agreed to be
acceptable, the second wordings which appear to have been at some time problematic but are
now acceptable, and the third wordings which remain inadmissible.

TASK 4
Fill in the gaps with suitable hedging language in the following sentences.
A possible/. Would/. Seems likely that/. Might be that/. Seem to be/.
Maybe due to/. Could arguably be/.

1. This discrepancy ______________attributed to variances in altitude.

2. ____________explanation for this ________ the substance contained trace elements of
calcium.
3. This somewhat contradictory result ______________ heavy metals present in the water
supply.
4. It _____________ these results are due to contradict those of earlier studies.
5. There______________ therefore, ________________ a need for urgent action on the issue.
TASK 5 Rewrite the following statements using hedging language.

1. The England football team must get rid of their manager.

2. Gordon Brown was better than Tony Blair.
3. Americans are friendlier than British people.
4. Picasso was more talented than Matisse.
5. The greatest scientist ever was Newton.
6. Spain has the best football team in the world.
7. The team failed because they are untalented, spoilt and over-paid.
8. The key to his success was his upbringing.

*ANSWERS MAY VARY IN TASK 5

TASK 6
Make up 10 sentences using hedging language.
*STUDENTS PROVIDE OWN ANSWERS