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Features of academic writing

Hedging

It is often believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is factual, simply to convey facts and information. However it is now recognised that an important feature of academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called "hedging" or "vague language". In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims you are making. Different subjects prefer to do this in different ways.

Language used in hedging:

1.

Introductory verbs:

e.g. seem, tend, look like, appear to be, think, believe, doubt, be sure, indicate, suggest

2. Certain lexical verbs

e.g. believe, assume, suggest

3.

Certain modal verbs:

e.g. will, must, would, may, might, could

4. Adverbs of frequency

e.g. often, sometimes, usually

4.

Modal adverbs

e.g. certainly, definitely, clearly, probably, possibly, perhaps, conceivably,

5. Modal adjectives

e.g. certain, definite, clear, probable, possible
6. Modal nouns

e.g. assumption, possibility, probability

7.

That clauses

e.g. It could be the case that .
e.g. It might be suggested that .
e.g. There is every hope that .

8.

To-clause + adjective

e.g. It may be possible to obtain .
e.g. It is important to develop .
e.g. It is useful to study .

EXAMPLES

Compare the following:

  1. It may be said that the commitment to some of the social and economic concepts was less strong than it is now.
    The commitment to some of the social and economic concepts was less strong than it is now.
  2. The lives they chose may seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most women today.
    The lives they chose seem overly ascetic and self-denying to most women today.
  3. Weismann suggested that animals become old because, if they did not, there could be no successive replacement of individuals and hence no evolution.
    Weismann proved that animals become old because, if they did not, there could be no successive replacement of individuals and hence no evolution.
  4. Yet often it cannot have been the case that a recalcitrant trustee remained in possession of the property entrusted to him.
    Yet a recalcitrant trustee did not remain in possession of the property entrusted to him.
  5. Recent work on the religious demography of Northern Ireland indicates a separating out of protestant and catholic, with the catholic population drifting westwards and vice versa.
    Recent work on the religious demography of Northern Ireland shows a separating out of protestant and catholic, with the catholic population drifting westwards and vice versa.
  6. By analogy, it may be possible to walk from one point in hilly country to another by a path which is always level or uphill, and yet a straight line between the points would cross a valley.
    By analogy, one can walk from one point in hilly country to another by a path which is always level or uphill, and yet a straight line between the points would cross a valley.
  7. There are certainly cases where this would seem to have been the only possible method of transmission.
    There are cases where this would have been the only possible method of transmission.
  8. Nowadays the urinary symptoms seem to be of a lesser order.
    Nowadays the urinary symptoms are of a lesser order.

Try the following exercises: 1. Hedging