Hedging

The literal meaning of hedging is a protective boundary made by thick shrubbery.

The other meaning is when sometimes you don’t want to state a fact categorically as you are not 100% certain that it is true or you don’t think that you can prove it is true and so you use certain words/expressions to distance or ‘protect’ yourself from the statement.

This type of hedging and is very common in news reports and it is also used in academic writing when the author wants to make a claim or assertion that is proportional to the evidence available, or to protect themselves from the risk of error or sometimes to simply convey modesty.

The fire was caused by an electrical fault.
(This sentence indicates certainty and is presented as a fact)

vs.

The fire seems to have been caused by an electrical fault.
(This sentence suggests possibility but not certainty)

1. Hedging with verbs

You can use appear and seem (that) to create a distance between yourself and what is said.

It seems that he was fired because of his incompetence.
It appears that the rumours are true.
The election result seems to be inevitable.

The world’s climate appears to be undergoing a complete change.

To distance yourself even further from the fact or opinion, you can use modal verbs.

It would seem that he was fired because of his incompetence.
It would appear that the rumours are true.
The election result would seem to be inevitable.
The world’s climatewould appear to be undergoing a complete change.

2. Hedging with the passive voice

You can use the passive forms of the verb to show that an opinion is not necessarily yours.

It is understood that he was fired because of his incompetence.
It is believed that the rumours are true.
The election result is thought to be inevitable.
The world’s climate is supposed to be undergoing a complete change.

3. Hedging with probability adjectives

You can use probability adjectives to hedge around a subject.

It is quite feasible that he was fired because of his incompetence.
It is probable that the rumours are true.
It is unlikely that the election result will be inevitable.
It is highly likely that the world’s climate is undergoing a complete change.

4. Hedging with probability adverbs

Apparently he was fired because of his incompetence.

Perhaps the rumours are true.

Supposedly the election result will be inevitable.

Presumably the world’s climate is undergoing a complete change.

5. Hedging with noun phrases

You can use the following noun phrases to hedge around a subject.

There is little doubt that he was fired because of his incompetence.

There is some doubt that the rumours are true.

There is little doubt that the world’s climate is undergoing a complete change.

There is little evidence of the election result being inevitable.