Entry 11: HEDGING AND BOOSTING

    In this opportunity, I pesent you two strategies that are used in an academic writing. These strategies are called HEDGING and BOOSTING. What do they mean? Are they important in academic writing?

  I invite you to watch the following videos where you can understand better these two concepts.

Video 1: The importance of hedging

Examples of hedging:

 

1) CATEGORICAL CLAIM:

    "The issues highlighted in this study are applicable to all participants institutions."

    HEDGED CLAIM:

    "The issues highlighted in this study may be applicable to many participants institutions."

2) CATEGORICAL CLAIM:

    " Government support will assure the spread of new knowledge and the skills necessary to use the internet to thousands of people in rural areas."

    

    HEDGED CLAIM:

    "Government support may help the spread of new knowledge and the skilld necessary to use the internet to thousands of people in rural areas."

3)     CATEGORICAL CLAIM:

     "The study proves the link between smoking and lung disease."

     

    HEDGED CLAIM:

    "The study indicates/ suggest a (possible) link between smoking and lung disease."

4)    CATEGORICAL CLAIM:

   "The number of unemployed people will continue to raise as the poor economic situation persists."

 

  HEDGED CLAIM:

    "The number of unemployed people will probably continue to raise as the poor economic situation persists."

   

5)   CATEGORICAL CLAIM:

   " This (and subsequent) studies led to the conclusion that the GTP itself must be the elusive base, and therefore to the proposal of the GTP-as-base mechanism (Schweins et al 1994, 1995)"

  HEDGED CLAIM:

  "This (and subsequent) studies led to the conclusion that the GTP itself may be the elusive base, and therefore to the proposal of the GTP-as-base mechanism (Schweins et al 1994, 1995)"

Strategies to hedge in academic writing:

• The use of lexical verbs:  tend to, suggest, indicate, appear, seem.
• The use of adverbs of frequency: usually, normally, generaly, often, sometimes.
• The use of adverbs & adjectives of certainty: possible, possibly, probable, probably, likely, maybe, perhaps, generally speaking.
• The use of modal verbs: may might, could,

Video 2: Hedging and Boosting

Example of boosting:

1)  "Employees will always respond positively in such circumstances."

2) "Certainly, this has had an impact on learning outcomes."

3) "These figures prove that there has been strong growth as a result of policy change."

Strategies to boost in academic writing:

• The use of adverbs of frequency: always, never.
• The use of adverbs & adjective of certainty: certain, certainly, obvious, obviously, definite, definitely, conclusive, conclusively, evident, evidently.
• The use of modal verbs: will, should.
• The use of lexical verbs: show, prove, evidence.

DEFINITION OF HEDGING CLICK HERE

DEFINITION OF BOOSTING CLICK HERE

Metacognitive analysis:

    Hedging and Boosting show writers judge and interpretation of their expresions. They are strategies employed by authors to express their stance, modifying not only the force of speech acts but also the interpretative character of meaning.

    When we write, we often indicate how confident we are about the claims we make. If we are doubtful that something is true or we simply have a different point of view, we may use words such as "perhaps" or "possibly" among other. But if we are confident and sure about something or we are agree with other authors point of view, we may use words such as "clearly" or "obviously" among other. So Hedging and Boosting affect the tone of our writing  and good writers use them effectively. That is why it is important to take into account these two procedures in academic writing.

What do you want to do ?

New mail