Portfolio Entry #11: Writing Strategies. HEDGING and BOOSTING

 

WRITING STRATEGIES: 

Hedging and Boosting

Both are writing techniques, or strategies depending on how you see them, and they are specially useful for Academic Writing. Every essay, paper or experiment is a contribution to a field, to an on-going ''conversation''. Knowledge is to be shared, analysed, discussed and argued. 

A contribution can be a new perspective or a revision of previous contributions, because there is no absolute or uncontested knowledge. To avoid producing absolute, or categorical claims, hedging is the perfect technique for Academic Writing. Hedging allows room for others to contest a claim, to provide their own input, and in doing so, making knowledge much richer.

 

Examples of categorical claims and hedged claims.

1) Categorical claim: The issues highlighted in this study are applicable to all participating institutions.

Hedged Claim: The issues highlighted in this study may be applicable to many participating 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 with the spread of new knowledge and the skills 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/suggests 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: These 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

Hedged claim: These 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.

While Hedging may be more appropriate for Academic Writing, Boosting, on the other hand, is not. If used appropriately, Boosting will show confidence in your findings and arguments. But too much of it, and you will look cocky, overconfident and even annoying.

Example of Hedging:

''Our results suggest that rapid freeze and thaw rates during artificial experiments in the laboratory may cause artificial formation of embolism. Such experiments may not quantitatively represent the amount of embolism that is formed during winter freezing in nature. In the chaparral at least, low temperature episodes usually result in gradual freeze-thaw events.'' (Hyland, 1998)

Example of Boosting: 

''Clearly, these sales figures show a definite increase in consumer confidence, which will undoubtedly have an impact on our share price.''

• For this entry, with the help of Rocio Salomone, we made a sort of ''podcast''.

 

Metacognitive analysis:

I have never noticed how much I use ''hedging language'', and maybe I should have noticed it before. I tend to (another hedging expression) speak as soft as possible when the occasion allows it, and avoid ''categorical claims'' when I am unsure of something. Even when I know something, I tend to be careful with what I say and how the other may understand and feel.

Organizing a podcast for this entry was interesting and challenging... far more challenging than we first thought! For some reason, we could not help but laugh! At least, it made for a fun night. I would like to take and put into practice this kind of assignment, to use recordings or videos depending on the type of assigment. I think they put less pressure on the students than speaking or reading in the moment, which is good for shy students! Once they start to feel comfortable, they will speak on their own, or that is what I think.