Stance

Definition

A linguistic term (from “standing”)

“Stance” refers to the linguistic choices a speaker or writer uses to express their attitude, opinion, judgment, or level of commitment to the information being shared. It reveals how you feel about what you are saying, not just the facts themselves.

A “stance verb” is a verb that expresses the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a proposition, rather than simply presenting the proposition as true.

Inflation increased (proposition)

The evidence suggests that inflation increased. (the matrix verb tells us how the writer stands in relation to that proposition.)

Speaker stand

Stance is important since it calibrates the speaker voice, which after all is the essence of writing essays

English suggests multiple grammatical options to express stance.

Grammatical tools & options

Resource	Example
Modal auxiliaries	may, might, must, should
Stance verbs	think, believe, know, suspect, doubt, seem, appear
Stance adjectives	It is likely that…, It is obvious that…, It is possible that…
Stance adverbs	probably, clearly, apparently, certainly, actually
Nouns	There is a possibility that…, The evidence suggests…

Style

Style	Example
Personal	I think the policy will fail.
Less personal	The policy will probably fail.
Analytical	It is likely that the policy will fail.
Evidence-based	The evidence suggests that the policy will fail.

Rhetorical impact by function

Resource	Functional perspective	Example	Rhetorical impact
Modal auxiliaries	Modality	may, might, must, should	Calibrates certainty, obligation, or prediction before the proposition is fully processed.
Stance verbs	Speaker stance	I think…, We know…, It seems…	Makes the speaker’s commitment explicit; foregrounds the reasoning process or source of the claim.
Stance adverbs	Speaker stance	probably, clearly, apparently, certainly, actually	Frames the proposition without shifting focus to the speaker; guides the reader’s interpretation directly.
Stance adjectives	Evaluation	It is likely that…, It is obvious that…, It is possible that…	Presents the evaluation as an objective assessment rather than a personal opinion.
Stance nouns	Evidence / abstraction	There is a possibility that…, The evidence suggests…, The assumption is that…	Depersonalises the argument and foregrounds evidence or concepts, contributing to a more formal, academic style.

Remoteness and irrealis

Assertion: “He left.”

He may have left. (irrealis)

I think he left. (stance)

Both weaken the force of a plain assertion, but they do so in different ways.

Modal introduces epistemic remoteness

He may have left.

CGEL would analyze, as an expression of epistemic modality. The proposition is presented as possible rather than factual.

The modal changes the status of the proposition itself.

A stance verb - speaker’s distance

Does not make the proposition remote.

I think he left.

Grammatically, the embedded clause he left is still an ordinary indicative content clause.

Nothing in its mood or tense has changed.

Instead, the matrix clause tells us:

"This is my belief."

So the proposition is not grammatically “remote.” Rather, the speaker distances themselves from asserting it directly.

Types of distance

In pragmatics, people talk about:

• Speaker commitment

• Epistemic distance

• Realization

Sentence	Speaker commitment	Epistemic stance	Linguistic realization
He left.	High	Assertion	Bare declarative clause (no overt stance marking)
I know he left.	Very high	Knowledge / certainty	Matrix clause + lexical verb (know) + content clause
I believe he left.	High–medium	Belief	Matrix clause + lexical verb (believe) + content clause
I think he left.	Medium	Belief / opinion	Matrix clause + lexical verb (think) + content clause
I suspect he left.	Low	Suspicion	Matrix clause + lexical verb (suspect) + content clause
He probably left.	Medium–high	Probability	Epistemic adverb (probably)
He may have left.	Low	Possibility	Epistemic modal auxiliary (may)
He might have left.	Very low	Weak possibility	Epistemic modal auxiliary (might)
It appears that he left.	Medium	Inference	Matrix clause + lexical verb (appear) + content clause
The evidence suggests that he left.	Medium	Evidential inference	Matrix clause + lexical verb (suggest) + content clause

In CGEL

CGEL. would keep them separate This is where CGEL is quite disciplined.

It would not say that think expresses “remote mood.”

Instead:

may = modal auxiliary expressing epistemic modality.

think = lexical verb heading a matrix clause.

The matrix clause semantically expresses the speaker’s belief. So they overlap in communicative effect but belong to different grammatical analyses.

A useful way to think about it

Grammatical remoteness

Resources that alter the grammatical presentation of the proposition:

• modal auxiliaries (may, might, could)

• subjunctive

• certain uses of the preterite (counterfactual/remoteness)

Discursive distancing

Resources that distance the writer from making a direct assertion:

I think… I believe… The evidence suggests… It appears that… Critics argue that…

These belong to discourse and lexical semantics.

Evidential expressions

Semantic term.

What the basis is for the proposition.

It answers the question: “How do you know?”, rather than “How certain are you?”

Assertion: He left.

According to the police, he left. (the evidence suggests that he left)

It appears that he left. (inference from observation)

Apparently, he left. (indirect information the exact source is unspecified)

English doesn’t have grammatical evidentials. Instead, it uses ordinary lexical and syntactic resources. Evidentiality in English is mostly lexical, not grammatical.

Expression	Grammar
according to…	PP
the evidence suggests…	Matrix clause + lexical verb
apparently	Adverb
it seems that…	Matrix clause
research indicates…	Matrix clause

CGEL perspective

CGEL does not have a grammatical category called evidential expression. Instead, it analyzes the grammar of the individual constructions:

According to the report (preposition + preposition phrase PP)

The evidence suggests that… (matrix clause with a lexical verb licensing a content clause)

Apparently … (adverb)

It seems that… (matrix clause with a lexical verb)

“Evidential expression” is therefore a semantic-pragmatic label: it groups together different grammatical constructions that all indicate the source or basis of the information.

Realization, the common effect

Both families answer the same rhetorical question:

“How directly am I willing to assert this proposition?”

One answers it through grammar (modality, irrealis-related meanings), the other through lexical choice (stance verbs, evidential expressions, reporting verbs). That shared rhetorical function is why they often feel similar, even though CGEL analyzes them very differently.

See also

Linguistic richness

Stance adverbs

Stance adverbs are preferred when you want to frame the claim directly without foregrounding the speaker.

I think the policy will fail. (focuses on the writer’s opinion)

The policy will probably fail (focuses on the claim and its likelihood)

Suppose you write:

Nuclear power is safe.

The reader doesn’t know:

• Is this your opinion?

• Is it well established?

• Are you correcting someone?

• Are you making a cautious inference?

Now compare:

Nuclear power is generally safe.

Nuclear power is arguably safe.

Nuclear power is clearly safe.

Nuclear power is surprisingly safe.

Each sentence tells the reader how to position the claim.

They’re about:

• Confidence

• Evidence

• Concession

• Surprise

• Expectation

• Evaluation

The policy arguably failed because…

The results clearly demonstrate…

The proposal unfortunately overlooks…

The evidence apparently contradicts…

Common stance adverbs by function

Function	Typical stance adverbs
Probability / uncertainty	perhaps, possibly, probably, likely, conceivably
Confidence / certainty	certainly, clearly, definitely, undoubtedly, evidently
Evidence / inference	apparently, evidently, arguably
Correction / contrast	actually, indeed
Generalisation / limitation	generally, usually, mainly, essentially
Evaluation	fortunately, surprisingly, remarkably, unfortunately
Emphasis / strengthening	clearly, significantly, undoubtedly, virtually

Modality

Auxiliary verbs modalities explicitly interpreted as the write’s opinion.

Lexical verbs that carry modality express evidence.

See also

Auxiliary vs. lexicals for modality

Takeaway

Goal	Resource	Rhetorical impact
Express possibility or uncertainty	Modal auxiliaries (may, might, could) Stance adverbs (probably, possibly)	Calibrates the strength of the claim; avoids presenting uncertain ideas as facts.
Present an inference from evidence	Stance verbs (suggest, seem, appear) Stance adverbs (apparently)	Shows that the conclusion is based on interpretation or evidence rather than direct assertion.
Express strong confidence	Stance adverbs (clearly, certainly) Stance adjectives (It is clear that…)	Signals that the writer considers the claim strongly supported.
Correct or challenge an expectation	Stance adverbs (actually, in fact)	Directs the reader to revise a previous assumption or common belief.
Make personal judgement explicit	Stance verbs (I think, I believe)	Highlights the writer’s viewpoint and responsibility for the claim.

• Use stance verbs when the source of the judgement (you, experts, evidence) is important.

• Use stance adverbs when the proposition is the main focus and you want to adjust how the reader interprets it.

See also

Stance options

Stance verbs