Example: Nurses will go on strike [Are you sure ?!] à

Nurses may/might go on strike

Task 1: Make these less "certain":

a) "The government made a mistake when they intervened in the market"
   "The government may have made a mistake when they ……"

b) "Next year’s students will have less money to spend on entertainment"
   "Next year’s students may (or are likely to) have less money….."

c) "The criticism is so strong that the President will resign"
   "The criticism is so strong that the President may have to resign"

Example:
"Nurses will go on strikeà [Which nurses ?!] à Nurses in Hong Kong à

And All nurses in HK ?! à Many nurses in H.K.

Task 2: Make these less "general":

a) "Students prefer IBM computers"
  "Many students prefer IBM computers"

b) "People can no longer afford to eat out"
   "Most people (say they) can no longer afford to eat out"

c) "Arts students study two or more languages"
   "Many Arts students study two or more languages"

Example: Nurses will go on strike because they think …
    à [How do you know what they will do or what they think ?!]
               Nurses may go on strike because they are complaining that …

Task 3: Show that the following are beliefs:

a) "Most respondents thought that Clinton would resign"
   "Most respondents predicted that Clinton would resign"

b) "Hong Kong people think the price of housing is too high"
   "Many Hong Kong people are complaining that the price of housing is too high"

c) "80% of the respondents only read Chinese language newspaper"
   "80% of the respondents reported only reading Chinese language newspaper"

Example:
"Nurses in Hong Kong are likely to go on strike over low pay (Regardless ?!) à
unless the government promises to review their case"

Task 4: Add some realistic context or condition (use if, when, unless, in cases where):

a) "The President will have to resign….."
   "The President will have to resign if his party turns against him….."
   or "…. unless he gets more support from his party"

b) "The Government will have to devalue the Hong Kong dollar….."
   "The Government will have to devalue the Hong Kong dollar if China devalues the yuan"

c) "The courts are likely to rule in favour of the mother…."

Example:
"Long-serving nurses are more (or increasingly) likely to strike than the newer recruits, as they have more to lose"

Task 5: Make these statements relative (as opposed to absolute):

a) "I like Chinese tea"
   "I prefer Chinese to Irish coffee (!)"

b) "The Democrats were always likely to vote against Clinton’s impeachment"

    "The Democrats were always more likely than the Republicans to vote against Clinton’s  impeachment"

c) "House prices are low"
   "House prices are lower than last month"

Example:
"Nurses in Hong Kong may go on strike over low pay unless the government promises to review their pay structure" à e.g.

     "Sources in the Hospital Authority report/warn that .."

or  Dr. C.K. Lo, Director of the Hospital Authority, warned that …

or  According to C.K. Lo, Director… , the nurses may go on strike…."

Task 6: Think of realistic ways of attributing the following ideas:

a) "If the HK Govt. continues to intervene in the market, devaluation is inevitable"
   "Martin Lee warned that if the HK Govt. continued to intervene in the market, devaluation would be inevitable"

b) "Hong Kong finance companies are not behind the current wave of speculation"
   "According to the Stock Market regulator, Hong Kong finance companies are not behind the current wave of speculation"

c) "Interest rates are too high"
   "Li Ka Shing is complaining that interest rates are too high"

Example:
"Sources in the Hospital Authority report that Hong Kong’s nurses may go on strike over low pay unless the government promises to review their pay structure

à Sources in the  Hospital Authority report that although the government has promised to review their pay structure, H.K.’s nurses are still likely to go on strike"

Task 7: Add "concessive" qualifications: (using while, although, despite, even if, etc.)

a) "The Japanese yen still continued to fall"
   "Despite the intervention of the government, the Japanese yen still continued to fall"

b) "The price of foodstuffs is continuing to rise"
   "Although Hong Kong is experiencing deflation, the price of foodstuffs is continuing to rise"

c) "Many educators argue that mother-tongue education is best for university students"
   "Despite the calls from Hong Kong parents to maintain English-medium schooling, many educators argue that mother-tongue education is best for university students"

Example:
If we feel that the reader may be unsure of what the Hospital Authority is, we might need to add à

"Sources in the Hospital Authority, the branch of government dealing with nurses' terms of service, report that …

Task 8: Clarify the jargon terms or acronyms in the following:

a) "So far, LEGCO has passed 98% of the government’s proposed legislation"
   "So far, LEGCO, Hong Kong's legislative body, has passed 98% of the government’s proposed legislation"

b) "UNESCO has recognised HKU as a lead centre in language education"
   "UNESCO, the UN's education and science branch, has recognised HKU as a lead centre in language education"

c) "Max Weber argued that capitalism had its roots in the Protestant ethic"
""Max Weber, the influential German sociologist noted for his critique of Marx,  argued that capitalism had its roots in the Protestant ethic"