Level: beginner
We use adverbials of probability to show how certain we are about something. The commonest adverbials of probability are:
| certainly | definitely | maybe | possibly |
| clearly | obviously | perhaps | probably |
- Adverbials of probability 1
maybe and perhaps usually come at the beginning of the clause:
Perhaps the weather will be fine.
Maybe it won't rain.
Other adverbs of possibility usually come in front of the main verb:
He is certainly coming to the party.
Will they definitely be there?
We will possibly come to England next year.
or after the present simple or past simple of be:
They are definitely at home.
She was obviously very surprised.
But these adverbs sometimes come at the beginning of a clause for emphasis:
Obviously she was very surprised.
Possibly we will come to England next year.
- Adverbials of probability 2
- Adverbials of probability 3
Average
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What is the difference between I definitely will go to your party and I will definitely go to your party.
Hello Khangvo2812,
There is no difference in meaning. The position of adverbs in English is quite flexible. I think the second example is more common, but both are correct.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi, I just want to know
1. why is "possibly" after the main verb in this sentence:
"she's got possibly a lot of work." ?
2. In negative, Why is "probably" before modals verbs such as
"My team probably won't win this match." ?
I'm really confusing. Thank you so much!
Hi BetterAdam,
In 1, "possibly" is positioned just before "a lot", so it seems that the speaker/writer wants to emphasise the quantity of work ("a lot") more than usual.
In 2, I'm not sure but the different word order from the affirmative sentence may signal to listeners that a negative verb is coming next. That's useful because if the listener misses or doesn't hear the negative verb, there will be a serious misunderstanding of the speaker's meaning.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Elma,
There is a difference:
> The eggs are almost all white - there are one or two eggs which are brown OR the eggs are white with brown spots or marks.
> The eggs are almost white - their colour is not quite white, but is very similar to white.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Lal,
The first sentence is not correct; the second one is.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lal,
The word maybe means the same as the word perhaps. It is used to describe something which is uncertain but possible.
The phrase may be is a modal verb with the infinitive be. Other infinitives can be used: may go, may need, may want, may win, may lose etc. In this use may has a range of possible meanings. You can read about those on our pages about modal verbs.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team