hedging – English Grammar Profiler

Hedging is a technique used in English to express politeness and indirectness. It involves using certain words or phrases to soften the impact of what we’re saying or writing, making it less direct or categorical. The ‘if-’ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) is a common form of hedging used to soften the directness of […]

IF clause + imperative ( hedging ) Read More »

Hedging is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, the sentence “I might possibly go to the party” uses the modal verb “might” and the modal adverb “possibly” to hedge the speaker’s commitment to going to the party. The speaker is not sure if they will go to the party, but they are open to

modal verb + modal adverb Read More »

C1 English Grammar Profile point 30 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: alternative questions with two clauses and ellipsis (of the modal) in the second clause, often as a hedging device. *Both of the English Grammar Profile examples contain ‘maybe’ and do not invert as questions usually do.  They both seem like weak

ellipted modal – alternative question Read More »

Here are examples of using stance adverbs with negative modality: It will not necessarily be progress for India if she simply imports the unhappiness of the West. listen The phrase “not necessarily” means that what has been said or suggested may not be true or unavoidable. In the sentence above. it implies that importing the unhappiness of the West is not a certain or inevitable outcome of progress for

negation + adverb with modality Read More »

In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 197 in MODALITY/expressions with ‘be’ is defined as: HEDGING ‘be’ + ‘not’ + adjective + ‘that-‘ clause to make an assertion less direct The EGP adjectives include: ‘certain’, ‘likely’ and ‘sure’ which are all related to hedging and modality such as certainty and probability. A search in iWeb for:

BE + not + ADJECTIVE + that + CLAUSE Read More »

Adverbs can modify assertions by hedging or emphasizing when placed in mid-position or after the main verb ‘be’. For example, “probably” in “you’re probably busy” hedges the assertion, making it less absolute. Conversely, “definitely” in “it is definitely the right thing to do” emphasizes the assertion, reinforcing its certainty. This usage of adverbs is categorized as A2 in the English Grammar Profile, with higher levels for certain constructions.

ADVERBS (hedging | emphasis) Read More »

B2 MODALITY: She is unlikely to get a job.

BE + adjective + TO-infinitive Read More »

Here’s a student example of an adjective followed by a ‘that’ clause. However, I am sure that  the most useful English for you is American English. PELIC Korean male level 4 writing In the sentence above, the phrase “I am sure that” is an example of epistemic modality. Epistemic modality is a type of linguistic modality that deals with a

adjective + (that) clause Read More »

To get started, let’s look at some spoken student examples that show a wide range of linking verbs with very literal meanings: It‘s like a fairy tale  because it doesn’t seem real. TLC female Mexico B1   To remain healthy, we have to exercise. TLC female India B1 The verbs ‘remain’ and ‘seem’ link the adjective complements: ‘real’ and ‘healthy’ in a more detailed way than

a wide range of linking verbs used in other complex ways Read More »