Hedging

How it is used

A key feature of academic style that writing courses teach explicitly. Hedges include modal verbs (may, could), verbs (seem, tend to), adverbs (possibly, likely) and phrases (to some extent). Too little hedging sounds overconfident; too much sounds vague.

Example sentences

1. Good hedging helps you avoid overclaiming: write 'may contribute to' instead of 'causes'.

2. The reviewer felt there was too much hedging in the discussion, so the conclusions seemed unclear.

Common collocations

• use hedging
• hedging language
• hedging devices
• appropriate hedging

Related terms

• suggestIn academic writing, to indicate that something is probably true without proving it; it can also mean to put forward an idea or recommendation.
• to some extentPartly but not completely; used to limit how strongly a claim is made.
• it could be argued thatA cautious, impersonal way to introduce a point or interpretation without presenting it as a fixed personal opinion.
• claimA statement that something is true, which may or may not yet be supported by enough evidence.
• stanceA writer's position or attitude toward a topic or claim, shown through word choice, use of evidence and how strongly ideas are expressed.

More terms: Argument and Hedging

• argument
• evidence
• argue
• counterargument
• acknowledge
• arguably
• tentative
• plausible
• tend to
• it is worth noting that
• assert
• refute