Hedging & Softening — No Means No Deal
Grammar: Noticing hedging and softening devices used to avoid direct negatives
Free ESL grammar exercise on hedging & softening themed around no means no deal. Printable worksheet from classplan.ai.
What's on this worksheet
A Business English ESL grammar exercise on business, practising noticing hedging and softening devices used to avoid direct negatives. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
Agents don't say that's not possible. They say let me find a workaround. The customer hears effort, not rejection.
Grammar
- Hedged refusal
- That could be difficult to arrange. — softer than 'no, that's impossible'
- Softened opinion
- I'm not sure that works for us. — avoids a flat 'no'
Sample items
- She said the deadline ______ be hard to move.
- I'm not ______ this plan will work for everyone.
- Rather than refusing, he offered a ______ instead.
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