Hedging and register

When you use it

Hedging means softening a claim so that it leaves room for doubt: This seems to work instead of This works. Register means choosing the level of formality that fits the reader: kids or children, get or obtain. At C1 a sentence is judged less on whether it is correct and more on whether it fits its context. An academic paragraph with no hedges reads as arrogant; an email to a colleague full of it could perhaps be argued that reads as cold. Ukrainian and Russian have both devices, but they are distributed differently. Slavic academic writing is more categorical than English, and English everyday speech is more indirect than Slavic speech, so you need to hedge more in essays and soften more in requests.

How it is formed

Tools for hedging:

Register: the same idea at three levels.

Grammar also signals register. Formal English prefers full forms over contractions, the passive over we and I, nouns over verbs (the completion of the work rather than finishing the work), single verbs over phrasal verbs, and it avoids ending a clause with a preposition. Informal English does the opposite on every point.

Examples

• The new timetable seems to work better for most families.
• Prices tend to rise before the holidays.
• The figures suggest that the plan may be too ambitious.
• Anna would argue that the problem is somewhat overstated.
• I was wondering whether you could send me the file again.
• Tom is generally on time, though not always.
• Formal: We regret that we are unable to approve your application. Informal: Sorry, we can't say yes to this one.
• We could perhaps postpone the meeting until Anna is back.

Common mistakes

• Stating a conclusion as proven. ✗ This proves that the method is wrong.
  ✓ This suggests that the method may be wrong.
  Slavic academic style values firm statements: Это доказывает, Це доводить. English academic style expects the writer to leave room for another reading, and prove is reserved for mathematics and courts.
• Stacking hedges until the sentence says nothing. ✗ It could perhaps possibly be argued that this might seem to be somewhat true.
  ✓ It could be argued that this is partly true.
  One hedge, at most two, per claim. Learners who have just learnt the rule tend to apply every tool at once.
• Transferring Slavic directness into requests. ✗ Send me the report today. / You must send me the report today.
  ✓ Could you send me the report today? / I would be grateful if you could send me the report today.
  In Ukrainian and Russian an imperative with будь ласка or пожалуйста is polite enough. In English a bare imperative to a colleague reads as an order, and must addressed to another adult sounds hostile.
• Mixing registers in one text. ✗ Dear Sir or Madam, I wanna find out about the job you put up.
  ✓ Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about the position you advertised.
  Vocabulary picked up from films and songs is informal by default. In a letter, a cover note or an essay, check each phrasal verb and contraction against the formal column.
• According to me for your own opinion. ✗ According to me, the flat is too small.
  ✓ In my view, the flat is too small. / I would say the flat is too small.
  According to reports someone else's opinion. Russian по-моему and Ukrainian по-моєму look like according to me, but the English equivalents are in my view, I think or the hedged I would say.

Try it