Speculation and deduction: Modal verbs and expressions

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✏️ Exercises

Expressions for Speculation: Probability

Grammar chart explaining the use of 'likely, unlikely, bound, sure, definitely, probably' to express probability with examples.

🟦Bound / Sure

We use bound and sure to express certainty about the future.

✅ The Jamaican is bound to win the final.
✅ The final is sure to be intense.
✅ There are bound to be some discrepancies during the meeting.

🟩Likely / Unlikely

Likely = probably will happen. Unlikely = probably will not happen.

✅ It’s likely that we will change our economic model soon.
✅ It’s unlikely that the police were involved.
✅ He is likely to win this game.
✅ They are unlikely to reach an agreement.
✅ Stubborn children are more likely to succeed.

🟨Definitely / Probably

We use these adverbs with main/auxiliary verbs to show certainty or probability.

✅ You’ll definitely get the job.
✅ He’s probably our best player.
✅ They probably won’t find any evidence.
✅ She definitely isn’t seeing anyone.
✅ They will probably not find anything.

📌 Key Rules:
🔹 Bound / Sure = certainty.
🔹 Likely / Unlikely = probability (positive/negative).
🔹 Definitely / Probably = adverbs modifying certainty.
✨ Used to speculate about present, future, and sometimes past.

📚 Related topics:

Practice: Speculation & Deduction
Modal verbs (must, might, can’t…)

Advanced: Past Modal Verbs of Deduction
“He must have forgotten”, “She can’t have known”