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Academic English & Research vocabulary · Argument and Hedging

Tend to

Meaning in academic english & research, with examples

phraseCommon term

In academic english & research, tend to means: To be likely to behave or happen in a particular way, used to describe a general pattern rather than a rule without exceptions.

In Turkish: -me eğiliminde olmak, eğilim göstermek, genellikle

How it is used

A very common hedge for generalizations: 'Older participants tended to ...' instead of 'Older participants always ...'. The noun tendency works the same way: 'There was a tendency for ...'. It fits both results sections and literature reviews.

Example sentences

  1. Female students tended to report higher levels of test anxiety.

  2. Small schools tend to have fewer specialist teachers.

Common collocations

  • tend to be
  • tended to report
  • tend to agree
  • there is a tendency for
  • hedgingUsing cautious language, such as may, might, appear to or suggest, so that a claim is only as strong as the evidence allows.
  • 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.
  • trendA general direction in which something is changing or developing over time, such as a rise in scores or a fall in enrollment.

More terms: Argument and Hedging

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