Unit 18 Compare and contrast, exercise 1

What is the role of the word apparently in texts A and B below?

Answer: The word apparently softens or 'hedges' the claim; the author is saying that the studies seem to be completely opposite, but this may not be the full picture.

A A recent study by Colvin et al. (2005) showed that traditional communications mechanisms through unions and other forms of employee participation resulted in lower absenteeism. This apparently contradicts Mefford's study (1986), which found that unionization increased absenteeism.

B In the literature, there is apparently conflicting evidence regarding the relationship between unionization and employee absenteeism (Mefford, 1986, Colvin et al., 2005). To understand this variation, it is important to differentiate between studies carried out in distinctly different contexts.