Hedging language

Hedging language to avoid absolute statements/
sweeping generalizations

"Frozen is always the most groundbreaking masterpiece among all princess movies, an epic tale of love and sisterhood that dazzles with stunning visuals and unforgettable songs."

​What do you think of this statement? Is it always true?

Open Ended

Why shouldn't we write a statement like "Frozen is always the most groundbreaking masterpiece among all princess movies" in academic writing?

used to avoid absolute

statements or

sweeping

generalisations

Hedging

​"Frozen is widely considered a significant achievement in animation, with some viewers appreciating its engaging story of love and sisterhood, along with what film critics often regard as visually appealing in terms of its design and catchy regarding its music."

Open Ended

Write 4 words that you think are missing in the text:

Multiple Select

Which sentences below are absolute statements?

• "Frozen is the highest-grossing animated film of all time upon its release."

• "Frozen is often seen as one of Disney's most successful animated films, with many fans considering it a modern classic."

• "Let It Go" from Frozen is the most iconic songs in animated film history."

• "The song 'Let It Go' is frequently described as one of the most memorable tracks in recent animated film history."

Multiple Choice

Do you think this is a good example of hedging?

"Frozen is generally considered by many to be one of Disney's more successful animated films, with some people often describing it as a modern classic that is arguably memorable for its somewhat popular song, 'Let It Go,' which is frequently regarded as iconic by a number of fans."

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Look at the sentence below. Does it need hedging?

"Frozen," released in 2013, became the highest-grossing animated film of all time at the time, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide.

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

Rewrite each statement using either of this hedging language:

1) once with a lexical verb (e.g. assume, believe, suggest, think, seem); and

2) once with an adjective (e.g. possible, probable)

3) adverb (e.g. probably, usually, possibly, perhaps, likely).

Statement 1: "Plastic pollution is the most serious environmental problem."

Open Ended

Rewrite each statement using either of this hedging language:

1) once with a lexical verb (e.g. assume, believe, suggest, think, seem); and

2) once with an adjective (e.g. possible, probable)

3) adverb (e.g. probably, usually, possibly, perhaps, likely).

Statement 2: "AI always has positive effects on society."

Open Ended

Rewrite each statement using either of this hedging language:

1) once with a lexical verb (e.g. assume, believe, suggest, think, seem); and

2) once with an adjective (e.g. possible, probable)

3) adverb (e.g. probably, usually, possibly, perhaps, likely).

Statement 3: "Evaluation is the only way to show critical thinking"