Evaluative language
Evaluative language includes positive, negative or neutral words and expressions that convey a judgement or an appraisal. The use of such language indicates your considered attitude to the particular topic – that is, your critical position.
Hedging and boosting – expressing certainty
Hedging, also called “cautious language”, can be used to indicate levels of certainty and make your critical position sound qualified and well-reasoned. There are many reasons why you might use hedging:
- Distance your position from another author or proposition.
- Giving a qualified explanation or hypothesis.
- Explaining results.
- Discussing implications, interpretations, recommendations, cautions, the future.
- Avoiding over-generalisation.
You can express low, medium or high certainty to consolidate your critical position. Expressing high certainty is called boosting. Hedging is expressed through the use of modal verbs and qualifiers like adverbs of probability.
Modal verbs include: may, can, must, could, appear to, will and should.
Adverbs of probability include: sometimes, probably, definitely, possibly, generally, never.
Examples of hedging expressing low degree of certainty:
- It is possible (adverb) that the results are incomplete.
- The data reported may (verb) support the initial hypothesis.
- Such raw data is seldom (adverb) reliable.
- The results suggest (verb) several implications.
Examples of hedging expressing medium degree of certainty:
- It is likely (adverb) that the results are incomplete.
- The data reported appear to (verb) support the initial hypothesis.
- Such raw data is generally (adverb) reliable.
- The results should indicate (verb) several implications.
Examples of hedging (boosting) expressing high degree of certainty:
- It is certain (adjective) that the results are incomplete.
- The data reported must (verb) support the initial hypothesis.
- Such raw data is increasingly (adverb) reliable.
- The results emphasise (verb) several implications.