Paper writting - 6 - Findings/Discussion
Findings/Discussion Chapter
1. 顺序是presenting results à describing results à discussing results
一般用past simple or present simple
2. Referring to tables or figures
- It can be seen from Table X that …
- As is shown in Figure Y, …
- As shown in Figure Y, …
- As the findings in Figure W reveal/show/indicate
- The effects of … on … are shown in Figure 3.
- According to Table Z, …
3. Comparing and contrasting data
- Expressing similarities
{exactly, practically, approximately, almost, nearly, about} the same as…
- Expressing differences
…far more…than……slightly more…than…Unlike……, whereas…{much, considerably, significantly, somewhat, slightly, marginally| higher/lower, etc. than…
- Using expressions to describe trend data
There was a{slight, small, gradual, steady, significant, dramatic, sharp, rapid, steep, sudden}{rise, increase, decrease, decline, fall, drop} in……{rose, increased, decreased, declined, fell, dropped}{slightly, gradually, steadily, significantly, dramatically, sharply, rapidly} in…
4. Language of hedging
| Expressing tentativeness | Expressing certainty |
| One reason for … | The reason for … |
| A possible explanation for … is that … | The explanations for … are … |
| This may / might / could be because … | This is because … |
| … may be attributed to … | … can be attributed to … |
| It seems that … | It is clear / obvious that … |
| The findings perhaps indicate the need to … | The findings prove the need to … |
Hedging is a very common language phenomenon, and its research tends to be foc.
模糊限制语是一种常见的语言现象，对其研究正朝着功能研究的方向发展。
5. Conveying confident uncertainty (tentative language, hedging language)
- Probability
Original sentence: Property priceswillincrease this year.…may / might / could increase…It is almost certain / highly likely / possible that…There is a strong / good / definite possibility that…
- Distance
Original sentence: Peopleareconfident about the economic outlook.. appear / seem to be confident…It would appear / seem that…The evidence suggests that…According to…On the evidence of…On the basis of…In the view of…
- Generalization
Original sentence:Peoplein HK support the government.Most / many / the vast majority of people…For the most part……tend to support…Apart from / with the exception of / except for…
- Weaker verbs
Original sentence: The rise in interest rates caused the stock market to fall.
The rise in interest rates contributes to the fall on the stock market.
Original sentence: The results undoubtedly / clearly / obviously prove that …
The results suggest that …
6. Others
In regard to / with regard to
Regarding… / pertaining to … / related to … / relating to …
As shown in … / as is shown in …
Establish / present / outline
Analyze / investigate / explore / examine / address / consider
Something is worth doing / something is worthy of doing
Contributions
7. Using language to protect yourself in discussion/conclusion chapters
A common means that writers use to protect themselves from criticism in journal articles and in discussion/conclusion chapters is to use speculative and imprecise language.
Such language can be described under five categories:
- Imprecise verbs (e.g., appear, seems)
- Modal verbs (e.g., may, could, would, 情态动词)
- Hedges of the “possible or likely” variety (e.g., possibly, perhaps)
- Hedges of the “substantially or partly” variety
- Frequency adverbs (never (0%) --> seldom, rarely --> at times, occasionally --> sometimes (50%) --> often --> usually àalways (100%))