Hedging With Modals and Adverbials
A modal goes before the main verb. An adverbial modifies a verb. By adding these to the sentence, we can change the intensity or strength of the verb to make the statement weaker.
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Modal Verbs |
Adverbs of Manner |
Adverbs of Frequency |
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may (have) They may be too lazy. might (have) They might be too lazy. could (have) They could be too lazy. can They can be too lazy. |
perhaps Perhaps they’re too lazy. arguably Arguably, they’re too lazy. possibly They’re possibly too lazy. maybe Maybe they’re too lazy (less formal) presumably Presumably they’re too lazy.
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sometimes Sometimes they’re too lazy. often They’re often too lazy. frequently Frequently, they’re too lazy. usually They’re usually too lazy. |