Adverbs of probability and certainty in English
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This chapter discusses the adverbs of probability and certainty in English. Adverbs of probability and certainty tell us the degree of certainty regarding an action or event.
Adverbs of probability and certainty are used to talk about how sure someone is about a situation.
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The placement of the adverbs of probability and certainty depends on what is being referred to.
Placement | Example |
---|---|
Before the main verb | I probably study medicine in the future. |
After the verb 'to be' | He is definitely like his father. |
Between auxiliary verbs and other verbs. | We will maybe be late to the party. |
At the beginning of a prayer | Of course, we can start later. |
The table below lists the adverbs of probability and certainty in English.
Adverbs | Example |
---|---|
certainly | She is certainly an intelligent girl. |
conceivably | They could conceivably have already left. |
definitely | They definitely came to school together. |
doubtless | Doubtless you will find a solution. |
indeed | I am indeed coming to your party. |
likely | It is likely that the bus does not arrive. |
maybe | Maybe we can teach him Spanish. |
of course | Of course, they can come to my house. |
obviously | She will obviously come to the party. |
perhaps | Perhaps we will go out tonight. |
possibly | I cannot possibly tell you what he will give you for your birthday. |
probably | They are probably working on a project. |
really | I really hope I can go to Australia soon. |
surely | She surely won't forget your birthday. |
truly | They truly believe they are going to fail the exam. |
undoubtedly | Undoubtedly, she was a great teacher. |
unlikely | She thinks it's unlikely that the teacher will come today. |
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!
Choose the adverb of probability and certainty between brackets that fits the sentence best.
He'll miss her. (truly / indeed)
I know what happened. (Probably / Of course)
My little sister was very tired. (unlikely / indeed)
he should see a doctor. (Surely / Maybe)
It is not that they are skipping classes later today. (unlikely / possibly)
The hiking trip was a success. (perhaps / definitely)
It is that the bus does not arrive. (likely / definitely)
I enjoyed the movie. (possibly / really)
they would understand. (Surely / Possibly)
This is the best he could have done. (undoubtedly / conceivably)
Choose the adverb of probability and certainty between brackets that fits the sentence best.
They are working on a project. (unlikely / probably)
I will join tonight. (Perhaps / Doubtless)
It's not the only option, but it's the most . (likely / unlikely)
She wanted to visit you, but couldn't. (obviously / possibly)
We felt we'd hear from him again. (truly / likely)
his mother couldn't bring him to school. (Definitely / Maybe)
I must come home tonight. (probably / certainly)
anyone could be an enemy in that game. (Unlikely / Conceivably)
he can join us tonight, no worries. (Of course / Really)
He was not invited. (undoutedly / probably)
Choose the adverb of probability and certainty between brackets that fits the sentence best.
He'll miss her. (truly / indeed)
I know what happened. (Probably / Of course)
My little sister was very tired. (unlikely / indeed)
he should see a doctor. (Surely / Maybe)
It is not that they are skipping classes later today. (unlikely / possibly)
The hiking trip was a success. (perhaps / definitely)
It is that the bus does not arrive. (likely / definitely)
I enjoyed the movie. (possibly / really)
they would understand. (Surely / Possibly)
This is the best he could have done. (undoubtedly / conceivably)
Choose the adverb of probability and certainty between brackets that fits the sentence best.
They are working on a project. (unlikely / probably)
I will join tonight. (Perhaps / Doubtless)
It's not the only option, but it's the most . (likely / unlikely)
She wanted to visit you, but couldn't. (obviously / possibly)
We felt we'd hear from him again. (truly / likely)
his mother couldn't bring him to school. (Definitely / Maybe)
I must come home tonight. (probably / certainly)
anyone could be an enemy in that game. (Unlikely / Conceivably)
he can join us tonight, no worries. (Of course / Really)
He was not invited. (undoutedly / probably)
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Catherine is an excellent teacher and communicator. In our initial session, we had an extremely productive conversation about goals and expectations and what I was seeking with personal lessons in Spanish. This allowed her to tailor our first lesson to my needs. I learned so much! She helped substantially with pronunciation and verb conjugations. I look forward to our next sessions and continued learning. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to improve their language skills in Spanish and English, in particular.
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Sandra is a very experienced and kind teacher. She is amazing at making you feel at ease, so that you can really enjoy your class and focus on your learning. She provides great learning materials and organises the lesson according to your needs and level.
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I’m French, currently living in the Netherlands.
I lived in Paris for almost twenty years, and I know very well my country (and of course my language, French, my mother tongue). I taught French for two years in Spain, conversation class about culture essentially.
In Paris, I was Spanish teacher, I have the Agregation degree which is the highest degree for teaching in France, I'm bilingual. I've participated too in several editorial projects about Spanish teaching and DELE preparation.
I have a Spanish Studies Master and I'm currently doing a research about the Spanish and Sefardi Judaism.
I have a French as foreign language and a Religious Studies Masters too.
I enjoy sharing what I know. I’m a very eclectic person and curious about everything. To give you an idea, my interest (and sometimes hobbies) are: philosophy, spirituality and religions in general, meditation, psychology and psychoanalysis, history, geography, literature, writing (in particular creative writing, and I’m used to write everyday), art (painting, photography), sciences (vulgarisation level) and cultural matters in general. I travel a lot (as a backpacker), sometimes by foot, and the places I know well are France, the Netherlands, Italy and Serbia.
One of my qualities is my capacity of adaptation, I enjoy preparing documents to help the student to acquire autonomy, but I love speaking too, and it’s the best way to learn a language.
I'm waiting for your message, please when contact me, explain quickly who you are, why you want to study French and what you are looking for exactly.
See you soon.
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Rosa is an excellent teacher, clear in explanations, attentive to the student's goals, with a vast culture that enriches the conversation in the language.
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-About Me
Hi! My name is Daniel. I'm 26 years old and I currently live in Seville, Spain. I have been teaching Spanish for 4 years now because I love to teach my language and culture to others. I'm interested in movies, especially french cinema of Nouvelle Vague, literature and music of all genres.
-Me as a Teacher
I graduated in Hispanic Philology with a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at University of Sevilla with more than 3 years of experience teaching Spanish to students from different nationalities, countries, ages and levels (from absolutely begginer to C2).
I have worked with USA and Erasmus university students, refugees with any knowledge of Spanish, British, Chinese or Koreans students, among others. For doing that I have prepared personalized lessons based on the needs and interests of the students.
Also, I’m an official DELE Examiner certified by Instituto Cervantes who has helped a lot of students to get their Spanish level certificated in different levels.
-My Lessons & Teaching Style
-Very communicative lessons adapted to the needs and interests of my students.
-Personalised lessons based on each student and their goals.
-Lessons about conversation, gramar, culture…
-My main goal is to help you to speak Spanish with confidence and fluently.
-Access to all the material used.
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Daniel has over 4 years of teaching experience. He has experience in teaching online, offline and to people from all different cultural backgrounds. He teaches all levels from A1 to C2. Furthermore, he has a broad variety of learning materials available for each level. You will surely learn a lot from him!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
I have two years of teaching experience in private English language schools, and I also have a CELTA certificate. Therefore, I know how to teach English effectively and create lessons to practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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Ashlyn is a very competent teacher, her courses are very clear and structured. The lesson is adapted to match with our interests and also there are some games which make the course interactive. I highly recommend her!
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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I'm extremely pleased with my English lessons. Sandra is a very capable teacher who treats her students according to their individual needs. She's an excellent choice for students who would like to push their English on a higher level. I'm currently preparing for a TOEFL test. Thanks to Sandra I feel well prepared and confident to reach the required score. Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher and lovely human being.
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I'm Rick, a CELTA-certified English language teacher.
Raised bilingually by an English mother and Dutch father. Lived, studied and worked in London.
Originally a classically trained singer and therefore have a sharp ear for pronunciation and vowel formation.
As a singer, I'm used to speaking and singing a lot of different languages (Italian, German, French, Russian, Czech, English, Dutch) and am used to working, and speaking English, with people from all around the world, which I like very much!
I have a lot of experience with online teaching, as well as live in person.
I teach grammar, listening, reading and speaking, using materials from different course books, adapted to the needs of you as a student.
My lessons are a combination of depth and personal touch.
I'm flexible, creative and fun, so send me a message and I hope to be helping you out with your English language learning in the near future!
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Rick is a new teacher on our platform, and he is eager to help you learn English. He has experience in giving exam training and teaches English from the level A1 until B2. Furthermore, he is very structured and adjusts his classes to your needs. You will surely learn a lot from him!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hi! My name's Renata. Born and bred in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Languages are what I'm best at. I've studied Russian at college but as luck would have it I got a job as an English teacher after graduation and that's what I've been doing for the past ten years. I worked in a private school where I taught English for 6 years. After that, I started my own small business offering translation, teaching and guiding services. I'm also a licensed tour guide for the City of Zagreb. For the past year, I've been doing online lessons with both children and adults. I currently have 10 students, some of them learn English and some Croatian.
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Renata has over 6 years of teaching experience. She is very kind and patient. Furthermore, she is specialized in teaching Croatian to beginners. She has a wide variety of interactive learning materials.
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Hello! My name is Ivana and I come from Serbia.
I am a med student, also I am an active Red Cross volunteer. I worked with both children and adults. If you need some help with reading, listening, writing or speaking in Serbian or English, feel free to contact me. I am looking forward to meeting you. :)
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She is a kind girl , professional and will give you attention and everything you need . Was a great lesson.
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I have struggled learning Spanish in the past, but Catherine has helped me understand and connect with the material. She is creative, professional, and sincerely interested in helping her students with their personal learning goals. And she has been to so many different places! I find that so inspiring. Her experience has given her a great perspective. I look forward to learning from her in the future. Thank you, Catherine!
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
I have two years of teaching experience in private English language schools, and I also have a CELTA certificate. Therefore, I know how to teach English effectively and create lessons to practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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I would like to recommend Ashlyn P. as an English language teacher. She is a great English teacher : patient, reliable, professional and very motivated. Her classes are very interesting : I have possibility to practice speaking and grammar, I always receive feedback about my mistakes and we practice the problems that are most difficult for me. She is also a very friendly and easy - going person. I am very happy with my decision to study online and I would recommend her to any online student who wants to improve his language skills.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Abigail Sosa. I'm a Mexican student living in Belgium at the moment. I study Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Ghent and I teach Spanish aside.
I started teaching Spanish almost 5 years ago and as a result of this, I fell completly in love with language education and speech.
I have worked with children, teenagers and adults (also students with ADHD of Autism) in groups of levels or in private classes. My teaching methods always vary depending of the student that I have because not everyone learns at the same manner nor at the same rythm; with some students you need to work slower and with others faster; some students are more visual, others are more auditory or others are more verbal. However, I always teach the four elements that are crucial in order to master a language which are: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
How do I do this?
With a previously planning of the class. This means choosing the activies, the topics or exercices to work during the class. They could be a video, a text or exercices of gramatica among others. Alongside we use, of course, a book: Aula Internacional. I share all the material via GoogleDrive.
My classes are very relaxed and I am very flexibel. The important thing is to enjoy what we are learning! I hope we see each other very soon, and please, don't hesitate to contact me in case you have more questions.
Greetings and a big hug dear future students,
Abi
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Abigail has 4 years of teaching experience and is a native speaker from Spain. She is very enthusiastic and eager to help you learn Spanish! She teaches to all levels (A1-C2). You'll sure feel comfortable in her presence.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hi!
I'm Emma, I'm originally from London but have lived in many countries around the world, and currently live in Italy. I have learnt foreign languages myself, so I can empathise with your every concern about learning a new language!
I speak english with a very clear British accent, and I have much experience with all levels of english learners, from beginners to advanced, from young children to retired adults, online and in person.
Just let me know your needs and language goals, and I will help you!
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Emma is a very good teacher, she is helpful and patient. She helped me to prepare for B2 English exam. She improved my pronunciation and my vocabulary and she understood what I needed.
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Catherine is an excellent teacher and communicator. In our initial session, we had an extremely productive conversation about goals and expectations and what I was seeking with personal lessons in Spanish. This allowed her to tailor our first lesson to my needs. I learned so much! She helped substantially with pronunciation and verb conjugations. I look forward to our next sessions and continued learning. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to improve their language skills in Spanish and English, in particular.
Review
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Sandra is a very experienced and kind teacher. She is amazing at making you feel at ease, so that you can really enjoy your class and focus on your learning. She provides great learning materials and organises the lesson according to your needs and level.
Review
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I’m French, currently living in the Netherlands.
I lived in Paris for almost twenty years, and I know very well my country (and of course my language, French, my mother tongue). I taught French for two years in Spain, conversation class about culture essentially.
In Paris, I was Spanish teacher, I have the Agregation degree which is the highest degree for teaching in France, I'm bilingual. I've participated too in several editorial projects about Spanish teaching and DELE preparation.
I have a Spanish Studies Master and I'm currently doing a research about the Spanish and Sefardi Judaism.
I have a French as foreign language and a Religious Studies Masters too.
I enjoy sharing what I know. I’m a very eclectic person and curious about everything. To give you an idea, my interest (and sometimes hobbies) are: philosophy, spirituality and religions in general, meditation, psychology and psychoanalysis, history, geography, literature, writing (in particular creative writing, and I’m used to write everyday), art (painting, photography), sciences (vulgarisation level) and cultural matters in general. I travel a lot (as a backpacker), sometimes by foot, and the places I know well are France, the Netherlands, Italy and Serbia.
One of my qualities is my capacity of adaptation, I enjoy preparing documents to help the student to acquire autonomy, but I love speaking too, and it’s the best way to learn a language.
I'm waiting for your message, please when contact me, explain quickly who you are, why you want to study French and what you are looking for exactly.
See you soon.
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Rosa is an excellent teacher, clear in explanations, attentive to the student's goals, with a vast culture that enriches the conversation in the language.
Review
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-About Me
Hi! My name is Daniel. I'm 26 years old and I currently live in Seville, Spain. I have been teaching Spanish for 4 years now because I love to teach my language and culture to others. I'm interested in movies, especially french cinema of Nouvelle Vague, literature and music of all genres.
-Me as a Teacher
I graduated in Hispanic Philology with a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at University of Sevilla with more than 3 years of experience teaching Spanish to students from different nationalities, countries, ages and levels (from absolutely begginer to C2).
I have worked with USA and Erasmus university students, refugees with any knowledge of Spanish, British, Chinese or Koreans students, among others. For doing that I have prepared personalized lessons based on the needs and interests of the students.
Also, I’m an official DELE Examiner certified by Instituto Cervantes who has helped a lot of students to get their Spanish level certificated in different levels.
-My Lessons & Teaching Style
-Very communicative lessons adapted to the needs and interests of my students.
-Personalised lessons based on each student and their goals.
-Lessons about conversation, gramar, culture…
-My main goal is to help you to speak Spanish with confidence and fluently.
-Access to all the material used.
Reviews
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
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Daniel has over 4 years of teaching experience. He has experience in teaching online, offline and to people from all different cultural backgrounds. He teaches all levels from A1 to C2. Furthermore, he has a broad variety of learning materials available for each level. You will surely learn a lot from him!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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