HEDGES

Hedging is used to tone down what you are saying and leave some uncertainty in your speech or opinion, that way if you are then caught out or proven wrong, what you have said can be taken back much more easily. When hedging you are telling the person you don’t fully believe what you are saying without directly telling them. This can be an advantage for both the person talking and the opposition. The opposition knows that you aren’t fully convinced in what you are saying and that gives them the opportunity to attack you. Your opinions can be knocked down, as how is anyone supposed to believe what you are saying if you don’t believe it yourself?