10.59 distancing and qualifying

There are a number of sentence adjuncts which have the effect of showing that you are not completely committed to the truth of your statement.

• Rats eat practically anything.
• It was almost a relief when the race was over.
• They are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand.
• In a way I liked her better than Mark.

The following adjuncts are used in this way:

• almost, in a manner of speaking, in a way, in effect, more or less, practically, so to speak, to all intents and purposes, to some extent, up to a point, virtually

Note that 'almost', 'practically', and 'virtually' are not used at the beginning of a clause.

Expressions such as 'I think', 'I believe', and 'I suppose' are also used to indicate your lack of commitment to the truth of what you are saying.