Hedging With Introductory Verbs

Just like adverbials can show less certainty, certain verbs can be added to the sentence to show uncertainty. Some come before the original verb and will be followed by to. The verbs that pair with to can be added before the original verb.

Verb	Example
appear + to	There appears to be one practice that is constant across all groups.
seem + to	With this analysis, the distribution of responses seems to be random.
tend + to	In this field, scientists tend to document the end of this process more than the beginning.

Verbs That Replace Others

Introductory verbs that pair with that will often replace other, more confident reporting verbs.

They suggest that the information shows that X
The information suggests that ✓

Verb	Example
imply + that	The interview transcripts imply that our knowledge may be incomplete.
indicate + that	The results indicate an inverse correlation between cost and satisfaction.
suggest + that	This perspective suggests that an alternative approach for data collection may be more suitable.