Hedging

Hedging is the use of cautious language in academic writing to manage the strength of a claim. It allows writers to show appropriate levels of certainty, protect their arguments from easy dismissal, and reflect the limits of evidence or support. Used well, hedging helps position claims carefully within a discipline, balancing precision with academic credibility.

Academic writers  can hedge in two different ways, utilising:

1. Approximators: words or phrases which indicates lack of precision or clarity.
2. Shields: words or phrases which indicates lack of commitment.

Consider the student example which highlights both types of hedging constructions.

Is it Possible to Over-Hedge?

While hedging is useful tool, it should be used strategically. It is important that academic writers do not hedge unnecessarily, or indiscriminately, throughout their text. Over-hedging will result in the text sounding uncertain and speculative. Consider the student example to see the effect of too much hedging language.

LANGUAGE CONSIDERATIONS

Please see the table below for common words and phrases that are used for hedging:

Hedging Language

Approximators

Nouns: tendency, estimate, approximation

Verbs: tend, estimate, approximate

Adverbs: roughly, approximately, largely, for the most part, partially, as a whole, generally, to a certain extent, usually, typically, in general

Adjectives: rough, approximate, partial, general, usual, typical, estimated, preliminary

Shields

Nouns: doubt, indication, likelihood, possibility, probability, suggestion, suspicion

Verbs: could, may, might, should, appear, claim, indicate, seem, suggest, suspect

Adverbs: conceivably, perhaps, possibly, probably, presumably, seemingly

Adjectives: conceivable, doubtful, likely, possible, probable, questionable, unclear, unlikely

Hedging Grammar Patterns

it + link verb + adjective + that/whether: e.g. "it is unlikely that"; "it is unclear whether"

it + link verb + adjective + to + infinitive: e.g. "it is possible to ascertain"

it + passive verb + that: e.g. "it is thought/believed that"

it + link verb + that: e.g. "it seems that"

there + be + the/a + noun + that: e.g. "there is a suspicion/assumption that"

this + noun: e.g. "this possibility"

the/a + noun+ that: e.g. "the suggestion that"

the/a + noun+ be + that: e.g. "the probability/likelihood is that"

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