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Hedging: It would appear that…, tend to
C1 C1 grammar · lesson 12 of 16
Hedging means making a statement less direct or less certain. It is essential in academic writing, polite discussion and any situation where you are not 100% sure.
Why hedge?
Strong statements like Coffee causes heart problems can be inaccurate or impolite. Hedging makes a claim more careful: Coffee may contribute to heart problems in some people. It protects the writer from being wrong and shows respect for other opinions.
Main hedging tools
| Tool | Examples |
|---|---|
| Seem / appear | It seems that… / It would appear that… / He appears to be… |
| Tend to | People tend to spend more in December. |
| Modal verbs | may, might, could, would |
| Adverbs | possibly, probably, apparently, generally, largely, relatively |
| Quantifiers | some, many, a number of (instead of all) |
| Impersonal phrases | It is possible that…, There is some evidence that…, It could be argued that… |
| Softening verbs | suggest, indicate (instead of prove, show) |
Examples
It would appear that the problem started last month.
Young drivers tend to take more risks.
The results seem to suggest a link between diet and mood.
This may be one reason for the change.
It could be argued that the price is too high.
The new method is relatively cheap.
Mia appears to have left already.
There is some evidence that music improves concentration.
Grammar notes
Tend to is followed by the base form: Cats tend to sleep a lot. Its negative is tend not to or don’t tend to.
Seem / appear can use the patterns It seems that + clause or subject + seems to + verb. For the past, use the perfect infinitive: He seems to have forgotten.
Hedging is also useful when you disagree politely. Instead of You are wrong, try I’m not sure that’s entirely true or That might not be the whole picture. Instead of This is a bad idea, say This could cause some problems. The message is the same, but the listener feels respected and is more likely to agree with you.
Don’t over-hedge. A sentence like It might possibly perhaps be true sounds weak. One or two hedging words are usually enough.
Common mistakes
✗ People tend spending more online.
✓ People tend to spend more online.
✗ It would appear as the plan failed.
✓ It would appear that the plan failed.
✗ The study proves that everyone loves music.
✓ The study suggests that many people enjoy music.
✗ He seems to forget his keys yesterday.
✓ He seems to have forgotten his keys yesterday.