BE + adjective + TO-infinitive

B2 Modality (attitude, certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability) can be expressed with the adjective to-infinitive structure.

A STUDENT EXAMPLE expressing possibility/certainty or hedging:

Children do not have serious symptoms, but they‘re likely to get the most complicated cases.

TLC SPEAKING TEST: female Sri Lanka B2

In the English Grammar Profile, the B2 point 156 in MODALITY and adjectives is yet another overlapping entry for features that are already covered elsewhere.  It is generally defined as:

SUBJECT + ‘BE’ + ADJECTIVE + ‘TO’ + INFINITIVE

or

pronoun or noun + ‘be’ + adjective + ‘to’ + (past) infinitive.


There is no mention of what kind of modality this form must express to qualify as an example of this point.  Yet we can surmise from the examples that it is ‘certainty/probability.’  The EGP examples are (likely|unlikely|sure).  There is another entry at B2 for ‘probability’ with this form already.

An iWeb search for:

_VB likely|unlikely|sure _TO * *

1 BE SURE TO CHECK OUT 31255

*However, the ‘be sure to do something‘ structure means do not fail to do it… especially if it is used as an imperative to emphasize an instruction.

2 IS LIKELY TO BE A 8211
3 IS SURE TO BE A 7801
4 BE SURE TO CHECK THE 7235
5 IS LIKELY TO BE THE 5336
6 BE SURE TO READ THE 5079
7 BE SURE TO CHECK BACK 4523
8 BE SURE TO USE THE 3861
9 BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE 3271
10 BE SURE TO USE A 3192
11 BE SURE TO HAVE A 3185
12 BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR 3092
13 BE SURE TO STOP BY 3028
14 BE SURE TO VISIT THE 3023
15 BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR 2944
16 BE SURE TO TAKE A 2912
17 BE SURE TO CHECK WITH 2774
18 BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR 2599
19 BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE 2578
20 IS LIKELY TO HAVE A 2409
21 BE SURE TO CHECK IT 2290
22 BE SURE TO GET THE 2228
23 IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN 2204
24 BE SURE TO LET US 2138
25 IS LIKELY TO BE MORE 2124
26 ARE LIKELY TO HAVE A 2015
27 BE SURE TO SIGN UP 1999
28 BE SURE TO KEEP THE 1985
29 BE SURE TO INCLUDE A 1867
30 ARE LIKELY TO BE THE 1856
31 BE SURE TO KEEP AN 1832
32 BE SURE TO GET A 1800
33 ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE 1768
34 BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR 1761
35 IS LIKELY TO LEAD TO 1744
36 ‘RE SURE TO FIND THE 1667
37 ARE SURE TO BE A 1612
38 BE SURE TO BRING YOUR 1599
39 BE SURE TO LOOK FOR 1599
40 BE SURE TO ASK YOUR 1578
41 BE SURE TO PICK UP 1490
42 BE SURE TO LOOK AT 1482
43 BE SURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE 1481
44 IS LIKELY TO BE AN 1473
45 BE SURE TO GET YOUR 1429
46 ARE SURE TO FIND THE 1379
47 BE SURE TO HAVE THE 1377
48 ‘S SURE TO BE A 1374
49 IS SURE TO BE THE 1354
50 BE SURE TO SELECT THE 1353
51 IS UNLIKELY TO BE A 1325

Noticeably, there are no examples of the ‘past infinitive’ or ‘to have + past participle.’


IT CONSTRUCTIONS

However, the grammar point above partially overlaps the B1 point 122 in the same category defined as:

 ‘IT’ + ‘BE’ + ADJECTIVE + INFINITIVE

HEDGING, EMPHASIS

to make an assertion more or less direct.

In addition, the same structure is found in:

B1 Point 54 in the category of PRONOUNS:

dummy ‘it’ as a subject to introduce something the speaker or writer is going to refer to.

We will not cover the same points already done elsewhere, but we will attempt to find other adjectives that may meet the requirements of B2.  We will also choose B1 vocabulary as more appropriate for this B2 grammar and to avoid stop words and to lean on the range as backup for the lack of modality because we should also remember that not all adjectives carry the modality necessary here.

 

From Cambridge we get a definition of modality and some examples as such:

We often use modal verbs or other modal expressions when we want to express an opinion or attitude about a possible fact or to control a possible action. All modal expressions are about the speaker’s or writer’s view of the world.

Expressing degrees of certainty: possibleprobablecertainsurelikely, unlikely, definiteclearobvious

Expressing degrees of obligation: necessarycompulsoryobligatoryessential

To start off our search on iWeb we can attempt to merely find _jj to_t

Most of the following 7 most common

all seem to lead in with opinion or certainty:

1 EASY TO 1762104
2 LIKELY TO 1172023 (covered elsewhere)
3 SURE TO 975306
4 READY TO 967725 (not modal)
5 HARD TO 963472

I sometimes think that it is really hard to survive.

6 IMPORTANT TO 814153
7 DIFFICULT TO 777925

8 WILLING TO 660980 (this might be considered a catenative adjective = connecting, linking, stringing together)

  Business Insider Australia
Georges St. Pierre would be willing to return to the UFC
if the company made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
 Aug 4, 2020.

9 POSSIBLE TO 596253 MODAL

10 SUPPOSED TO 556813 (covered elsewhere)
11 HAPPY TO 479905
12 EASIER TO 475834

13 NECESSARY TO 458769

14 FREE TO 434657
15 BEST TO 345368
16 GOOD TO 315227

17 IMPOSSIBLE TO 288575

18 AVAILABLE TO 281745
19 NICE TO 240781

20 PROUD TO 229677 (probably not modal)

21 DUE TO 227078 (covered elsewhere)
22 EXCITED TO 220690
23 PLEASED TO 198737

Im very pleased to meet you.

listen

24 BETTER TO 190853

TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST EXAMPLE:

I’m a teen and I consider that it’s better to have to be in a mixed school than a separate one.

female Moldova B2

25 GREAT TO 189102
26 FUN TO 163892
27 AFRAID TO 156015
28 INTERESTING TO 154745
29 POTENTIAL TO 142520
30 GLAD TO 141311
31 HARDER TO 139173
32 SAFE TO 134666
33 ELIGIBLE TO 133721
34 LIKE TO 128774

35 UNLIKELY TO 126516 (MODAL)

36 EAGER TO 124968
37 SIMPLE TO 113124

38 DELIGHTED TO 102768

39 QUICK TO 98741

40 KEEN TO 96121

41 SURPRISED TO 88557
42 SORRY TO 83481
43 NEEDLESS TO 80714
44 SUFFICIENT TO 76967
45 RIGHT TO 76773
46 LUCKY TO 75276
47 USEFUL TO 74057

48 HELPFUL TO 73038

49 TOUGH TO 72878
50 WELCOME TO 69887
51 RELUCTANT TO 63983
52 INCLINED TO 63039

53 ESSENTIAL TO 59705 MODAL

54-74 =

LONG, FORTUNATE, LATE, OK, WISE, INTERESTED, EXPENSIVE, FAIR, INTENT, UNWILLING, OKAY, EARLY, CURIOUS, LONGER, APPROPRIATE, SLOW, SAD, CONTENT, COOL, CAREFUL, DESPERATE

75 PUBLIC TO 33616 (this is odd)

76 COMMON TO 33539

77 ADVISABLE TO 33255
78 COMFORTABLE TO 32848
79 EASIEST TO 32788

80 ANXIOUS TO 32665

81 TEMPTING TO 31044

82 REASONABLE TO 30824

83 EXCITING TO 29914
84 CHEAPER TO 29724

85 SIMILAR TO 29419 (this is probably incorrectly tagged as ‘to’=preposition)

86 CERTAIN TO 29131 (covered elsewhere)
87 WRONG TO 28457
88 HESITANT TO 28446
89 KEY TO 28031
90 CRITICAL TO 27573
91 ILLEGAL TO 27407
92 LIGHT TO 27307
93 PRONE TO 27254

94 CONVENIENT TO 27174

95 NEW TO 27082
96 AMAZING TO 26969
97 SMALL TO 26958
98 TRICKY TO 26635

99 SCARED TO 25715

100 FIT TO 24848

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