Nuancer son propos (hedging)
tend to, appear to, it would seem, arguably, to some extent : l'art de ne pas affirmer trop fort.
Dans l'écrit académique et professionnel anglais, on évite les affirmations trop catégoriques. On « nuance » avec des verbes, des adverbes et des tournures impersonnelles.
| Procédé | Exemples |
|---|---|
| verbes | seem to, appear to, tend to, suggest, indicate |
| modaux | may, might, could, would |
| adverbes | arguably, apparently, possibly, probably, largely, relatively |
| tournures impersonnelles | It would seem that…, It could be argued that…, There is some evidence that… |
| limiteurs | to some extent, in most cases, in general, broadly speaking |
- This would seem to suggest that prices will rise.Cela semblerait indiquer que les prix vont augmenter.
- It could be argued that the policy has failed.On pourrait soutenir que la politique a échoué.
- Young people tend to use social media more.Les jeunes ont tendance à utiliser davantage les réseaux sociaux.
Test yourself
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Nuance : Men earn more than women.
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Men tend to earn more than women. -
Nuance : The results prove that the method works.
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The results would seem to suggest / indicate that the method works. -
Que signifie « arguably the best » ?
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on peut soutenir que c'est le meilleur -
Traduis : « Dans une certaine mesure, il a raison. »
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To some extent, he's right.