In the language learning process, communication skill is a vital aspect to be mastered. One of the communication process that is most widely used is oral presentation. This study aimed to investigate the types of hedges used in the EFL students oral presentation and their pragmatic functions. The present study used a qualitative descriptive method as a research methodology. The data of this study were taken from 4 videos of EFL students oral presentation. The data were analyzed using Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness strategies theory. The results of this study found that there are 3 types of hedges used in the EFL oral book review presentation, namely (1) adapters, (2) reasonable shield, and (3) attribution shields, which serve to show the value of politeness to audience or interlocutor and avoid the possibility of conflict over errors in the information submitted so as to reduce the level of accuracy of the information conveyed. Referring to the results, this study implies that learning about the use of hedges to suit the situation is necessary for EFL students.

Keywords: Hedges; politeness strategy; EFL students; oral presentation; book review