Stance verbs

Certainty / belief

• believe

• think

• consider

• assume

• maintain

• hold

I believe that…

Critics maintain that…

Appearance / inference

• seem

• appear

• suggest

• indicate

• imply

• point to

The results suggest that…

The evidence indicates that…

Knowledge

• know

• demonstrate

• establish

• prove

• confirm

The study demonstrates that…

Doubt

question doubt dispute challenge

Critics question whether…

Note

Notice the CGEL pattern:

Matrix clause + content clause

The evidence suggests that the policy failed.

The matrix clause doesn’t add factual content about the policy; it expresses the writer’s stance toward the content clause.