ADVERBS as RESPONSE TOKENS
C2: adverbs expressing certainty as short responses – MODALITY
EGP
certainty
maybe | perhaps
A2 Point 13 in the category of MODALITY/adverbs: certainty and possibility (‘maybe’, ‘perhaps’), before a clause or ellipted clause. *Note that ‘maybe’ is also listed at A1. And ‘perhaps’ is A2 in the EVP regardless of position. An iWeb search for: . maybe|perhaps * * * 1 . MAYBE IT ‘S BECAUSE 2541 2 . …
BE + ADVERB + going to + VERB
C1 point 58 in future with be going to is defined as: increasing range of adverbs (particularly adverbs of certainty) in the normal mid position. This point overlaps adverbs of certainty at C1. A search in iWeb for the adverbs we find in the EGP examples: _VB (probably|undoubtedly|surely) going to_T _VVI Note ‘surely’ is rare. …
absolutely | undoubtedly | undeniably
The adverb ‘undeniably‘ is used to emphasize that something cannot be denied or disputed. It is listed at C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile with the meaning: in a way that is almost certainly true. For example: That‘s undeniably true. Listen In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 64 in ADVERBS/modifiers is defined as: a wide range of …
BE + adjective + TO-infinitive
B2 MODALITY: She is unlikely to get a job.
BE + bound | likely | meant | obliged + TO
*There is an interactive word tree exercise for this B2 grammar here. B2 English Grammar Profile point 152 in MODALITY overlaps many other modality points. So here we will cover those not already covered elsewhere. It is defined as: the full range of expressions with ‘be’ + infinitive (‘be likely to’, ‘be due to’, ‘be …
BE + sure | certain + to INFINITIVE
In this post, we explore modality with two adjectives followed by infinitives. Here is an imperative example of telling someone with emphasis not to forget or fail to do something: Be sure to check the weather before you go to the airport. listen And here is an extremely advanced modification of an assertion, a bit like a negative superlative comparison: There’s nothing more certain to ruin a beautiful relationship than marriage. …
Maybe
Maybe A1 maybe A2.