Hedging is a technique used in English to express politeness and indirectness. It involves using certain words or phrases to soften the impact of what we’re saying or writing, making it less direct or categorical. The ‘if-’ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) is a common form of hedging used to soften the directness of imperatives, when making offers, or suggestions.
Here are some examples based on iWeb corpus data:
- If you prefer, use a different method to solve the problem.
- If you want, add a little more salt to the soup.
- If you want, go to the park early in the morning.
- If you prefer, call me after lunch.
- If you want, use this tool to fix the issue.
- If you want, try this new approach for your project.
- If you want, make a list of all your tasks for the day.
- If you want, take a break and relax for a while.
- If you like, use this recipe for your dinner tonight.
- If you want, feel free to share your thoughts.
These sentences are less direct and therefore often perceived as more polite than their non-hedged counterparts (e.g., “Use a different method”, “Add more salt”, “Go to the park”, etc.). They give the listener or reader a sense of choice, making the suggestion or instruction seem less imposing.
In these examples, the verbs ‘prefer’, ‘want’, and ‘like’ are still transitive, but the objects are implied rather than explicitly stated. This is a common feature in English and many other languages, where the object of a verb can be omitted if it is clear from the context.
For instance, in the sentence “If you prefer, use a different method to solve the problem,” the object of ‘prefer’ is implied to be ‘using a different method to solve the problem’. Similarly, in “If you want, add a little more salt to the soup,” the object of ‘want’ is understood to be ‘adding a little more salt to the soup’. And in “If you like, use this recipe for your dinner tonight,” the object of ‘like’ is ‘using this recipe for your dinner tonight’.
This makes the language more efficient and avoids unnecessary repetition.
Profiling Research
Here are two English Grammar Profile points at A2 that overlap formally.
Point 9 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined:
‘if’ + present simple, with an imperative in the main clause.
Point 22 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as:
HEDGING: ‘if-‘ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) to soften the directness of imperatives, offers or suggestions.
*This partly overlaps ‘a limited range of conjunctions’.
A search in iWeb for:
If _P want|like|prefer , _V
1 IF YOU LIKE, ADD 142
The Mercury NewsIf you like, add an organic egg on top.
2 IF YOU LIKE , IS 142
3 IF YOU PREFER, USE 105
4 IF YOU WANT, ADD 104
5 IF YOU WANT, GO 75
6 IF YOU PREFER, CALL 71
7 IF YOU WANT, USE 71
8 IF YOU WANT, TRY 55
9 IF YOU WANT, MAKE 50
10 IF YOU WANT, TAKE 49
11 IF YOU LIKE, USE 47
12 IF YOU WANT, FEEL 46
13 IF YOU LIKE, TAKE 44
14 IF YOU WANT, CHECK 44
15 IF YOU WANT, SEND 41
16 IF YOU WANT, SAY 41
17 IF YOU PREFER, IS 37
18 IF YOU WANT, HAVE 37
19 IF YOU WANT, GET 36
20 IF YOU LIKE, TRY 36
21 IF YOU LIKE, MAKE 36
22 IF YOU WANT, DO 36
23 IF YOU PREFER, SEND 29
24 IF YOU WANT, CLICK 29
25 IF YOU PREFER, TAKE 26
26 IF YOU WANT, GIVE 25
27 IF YOU WANT, LET 25
28 IF YOU PREFER, MAKE 25
29 IF YOU PREFER, ADD 25
30 IF YOU PREFER, CAN 23
31 IF YOU LIKE, HAVE 23
32 IF YOU LIKE, ARE 23
33 IF YOU LIKE, GO 22
34 IF YOU LIKE, BRING 21
35 IF YOU LIKE, HAS 21
36 IF YOU LIKE, WAS 20
37 IF YOU PREFER, TRY 20
38 IF YOU LIKE, SEND 20
39 IF YOU LIKE, FEEL 20
40 IF YOU LIKE, DO 19
41 IF YOU LIKE, GIVE 19
42 IF YOU LIKE, CHECK 19
43 IF YOU WANT, CHOOSE 18
44 IF YOU WANT, IS 17
45 IF YOU LIKE, SPRINKLE 17
46 IF YOU WANT, ENTER 17
47 IF YOU WANT, CREATE 16
48 IF YOU LIKE, USING 16
49 IF YOU LIKE, CHANGE 16
50 IF YOU WANT, TELL 15
A2 vocabulary:
add, bring, call, check, click, enter, let, try
(the following are not all going to match our grammar)
. _V if _P want|like|prefer
1 . DECIDE IF YOU WANT 204
2 . SEE IF YOU LIKE 87
3 . SELECT IF YOU WANT 66
4 . CHOOSE IF YOU WANT 59
5 . LIKE IF YOU WANT 55
6 . REMEMBER IF YOU WANT 39
7 . DETERMINE IF YOU WANT 29
8 . DEPENDS IF YOU WANT 25
9 . LAUGH IF YOU WANT 22
10 . LIKE IF I WANT 21