Grammar

Review

Kevin Armando Brand Fonseca, M.A.

Objectives for today:

-Developing strategies to soften and strengthen

statements.
 Paired
Conjuntions
with Negative
Connectors
Kevin Armando Brand Fonseca, M.A.
 Clauses with Negative Connectors

• Not only but also…

Not only has she suggested that much research remains to be done, but she has
also provided encouragement as well as a number of useful suggestions.

• Neither
The men had not spent much time in the area. Neither had they acquired any
military training before their arrival.

• Nor
Many of the students do not have the capabilities at home to practice with
technology. Nor do they have the necessary background knowledge to be
successful with technology in school.
Let’s work!

Check the answers

Work on the Solve activities 19 with your professor
course anthology! and 20. and classmates.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Softening and
Strengthening
Statements
Kevin Armando Brand Fonseca, M.A.
 Using Hedges to Soften a Statement

• Use hedges to avoid being too general when we argument on a topic.

-Political parties are corrupt.

-Some political parties are corrupt.
 Other ways to use hedges

• We may use words that express possibility (rather than certainty) like
“appear”, “seem”, or “suggest.”
-Virtual classes are difficult for students.
- It seems that virtual classes are difficult for students since there is a high
desertion index.
 Other ways to use hedges

• Say that your evidence is somehow limited. For example:

-The literature reviewed does not refer to CINDEA’s dropout causes.
 Other ways to use hedges

-State that the situation is not true all the time or not true for everyone.
-There are some cases in which metacognition is not relevant for listening
comprehension.
Let’s work!

Check the answers

Work on the Solve activities 1 and with your professor
course anthology! 3. and classmates.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

 Hedging with Modals

-May, might, can, and could.

-We often use “may (not)”, “might (not)”, “can”, and “could” to express the
idea that a situation is only possible or probable. Examples:
a) Economic issues could explain learners’ scarce motivation in regard to
online classes.
b) When research studies are 10 years or more, they can be regarded as
outdated.
c) Teaching indigenous dialects may crack down discrimination against native
groups in Costa Rica.
 Hedging with Modals
-May have, might have, and could have.
- We can use “may have”, “might have”, and “could have” plus a past
participle to express possibility in the past. They can be used in past real
conditionals or past unreal conditionals forms.
a- Mars might have been inhabitable some millions years ago.
b- If the archduke Franz Ferdinand had not been murdered in 1914, WWI may
have been avoided.
c- People from Sentinel North island have not dominated the fire yet; they
could have been living in the stone age in this century
 Hedging with Modals
Should.
- We can use “should” as a hedge when we want to express a strong
expectation about a desirable general or future outcome; that is, an event or
situation that is possible to happen but not certain.
a- By the end of the year, the cases of Covid-19 should be less as compared to
May.
b- Compared to EFL learners, ESL learners should have more opportunities to
reach a high proficiency.
 Hedging with Modals
Would.
- “Would” is often used for unreal situations. As a hedge, it is used in statements about
possible plans and actions for general and future time; that is, it expresses the possibility
for something to happen. The other modals “may”, “might”, “can”, and “could” can be
also used for these purposes, but “would” expresses less hedging (less limitation), for the
situation can be understood as something probable.
a- To decrease the use of plastic, one option would be to increase the cost of production
by 2021. (Possible)
b- To decrease the use of plastic, one option can be to promote strikes. (Less possible)
Let’s work!

Check the answers

Work on the Solve activities 4, 5, with your professor
course anthology! and 6. and classmates.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

 Hedging with Other Structures

Hedging with main verbs.

Verbs like “suggest”, “seem”, “tend”, “appear”, “assume”, “believe”, and
“think” can be used to hedge statements.
-Our study suggests that repetition is necessary when learning verbs.
 Hedging with Other Structures

Hedging with adjectives.

- Adjectives like “probable”, “possible”, “likely”, or “potential” can be used to
hedge statements.
The new train is a potential solution for traffic jams.
 Hedging with Other Structures

Hedging with adverbs.

- Frequency adverbs such as “sometimes” and “often”; stance adverbs like
“perhaps”, “possibly”, “typically”, and “likely”; and degree adverbs like
“somewhat” and “approximately” can be used to hedge statements.
-Grammar tests are often used to assess memory.
 Hedging with Other Structures

Hedging with quantifiers and nouns.

Quantifiers like “most”, “a number of”, “some”, and “few” as well as nouns such
as “possibility” or “likelihood” can be used to hedge statements.
-Few soccer leagues are currently active.
-Latin American EFL learners have the likelihood to learn American English.
 Hedging with Other Structures

Hedging with conditional adverb clauses.

Conditional adverb clauses like “will have” (real) and “would have” (unreal) can
be used to hedge statements.
-Electronic devices will have caused anatomical changes in humans in the near
future.
 Careful!
Do not use too many hedges as this can make
your statements seem weak. For example:
“There seems to be some evidence that suggest
that cultural difference may explain the cultural
problems in some cases.”
 Using Boosters to Strenghten a Statement

Use words or phrases to show a strong position and certainty about a

topic.
- The mayor of Golfito was right about the unsteadiness of the dock.
- The mayor of Golfito was clearly right about the unsteadiness of the
dock.
 Other ways to use boosters

We can use words that express the importance or extreme degree of the
situation.
- Reading articles can significantly increase our vocabulary.
- Lack of interaction has serious effects on EFL learners.
 Other ways to use boosters

We can emphasize a situation as always true or true for everyone. For example:
All the students that do bibliographic research studies learn to use data bases.
 Other ways to use boosters

We can emphasize a situation as always true or true for everyone. For example:
All the students that do bibliographic research studies learn to use data bases.
 Boosters with Other Structures

Boosting with modals and adjectives.

The modals “will” and “must” and the adjectives “obvious”, “clear”,
“definite”, “significant”, and “serious” can be used to boost statements.
-Ciudad Neily High School must reinforce the social extension.
-Ciudad Neily High School has clear deficiencies in artistic disciplines.
 Boosters with Other Structures

Boosting with main verbs and quantifiers.

Main verbs like “demonstrate”, “show”, “know”, “require”, “document” and
“need” as well as quantifiers like “all” or “no” can be used to boost statements.
-The study demonstrates why learners should attend summer classes.
-All the evidence illustrates the positive outcomes of using ICTs.
 Boosters with Other Structures

Boosting with nouns.

Nouns such as “certainty”, “evidence”, and “fact” and noun clauses beginning
with “the fact that” can be used to boost statements.
-The fact that costumers prefer Palí than Auto Mercado evidences differences
in price and service.
 Boosters with Other Structures

Boosting with adverbs.

Adverbs like “obviously”, “certainly”, “surely”, “clearly”, “always”, “never”,
“actually”, “indeed” and “urgently” can be used to boost statements.
-Palí has clearly lower prices than Auto Mercado.
Use booster to strengthen a statement only if you
have arguments to support your position. Avoid
overusing them because they can affect your Careful!
accuracy and the credibility of your work.
Example of incorrect use of boosters:
The fact that scientists have clearly
demonstrated that electric cars decrease the
greenhouse effects is obviously important.
Let’s work!

Check the answers

Work on the Solve activities 9, 10, with your professor
course anthology! 11, and 13. and classmates.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

 Thanks!
Remember to contact me if you have any
questions.

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