Show all questions alex wanted to get the promotion very much, but he didnt. A collection of english esl worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about possibility, possibility. Possibility describes something that might occur, the chance that something might happen. Modals of possibility might may could must cant you must be joking. Modal auxiliary verbs can express different degrees of certainty about an action or a fact. Did the confident certainty of cheney and rumsfeld drown out the voices of those expressing hesitancy about the rush to war. Present modal verbs of deduction and probability exercise. Corley justin wedeking how can legal decision makers increase the likelihood of a favorable response from other legal and social actors. December 30, 2010 must does not always express compulsion or obligation.
Type use modal verbs example 1 to express possibilities for the future could, may, might it may rain tomorrow. We use will to express a strong possibility that something is true, especially when we dont have actual evidence at the moment. You need other verbs to express the same thing in the past, future etc. For a small onetime investment, you can get the whole package of 50 lessons. Base of this assumption why in some parts you keep saying this modal use for past certainty, for example they must have practiced too much. Cae exam practice expressing possibility, probability.
This possibility and certainty worksheet activity can be used to help teach students modal verbs of possibility, adverbs of probability, predicting and expressing certainty. English esl possibility worksheets most downloaded 16 results. Academic word list expressing certainty and uncertainty. Im positive that i have no doubt that im a hundred percent certain. Pay close to attention to time words to conjugate the modal verb of probability correctly. The everyday grammar team is on the job, explaining how to use these modals to express how certain, or sure, you are of. Doubt they are arranged into lines where all three are the same type, so you dont need to check every single one. We use must to show we are sure something is true and we have reasons for our belief. If you use an ios or android device, you can get offline access to these materials through the tefl handbook.
The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes an instance of being certain. I sent the package three weeks ago with express mail. There is a grammar explanation at the bottom of the page. Jun 16, 2016 may, might and must are modal verbs that cause confusion for some learners. They cannot be used with the willfuture, they have no infinitive, no toinfinitive, no ing form, and no past. Oxford word skills unit 59 i can express probability.
In this lesson, ill talk about how we use modal verbs to talk about certainty, probability and possibility. In order to do this, you fequently have to, among other things, make claims, evaluate opinions and come to. We all know that modals have not indicate tenses, and they only reflect four different aspects of simple, continoues, perfect and perfect continoues. In this lesson youll learn how to express ability, possibility, and obligation. Thats why esl teachers should make a point of teaching the art of certainty to their students. If you are sure or not sure about something, you can use below phrases and expressions to express your certaintyuncertainty. Ask students what they think happens to the modals when we are talking about past certainty and probability.
This is known as a probability density function, and understanding what these are is vital when assessing the strength of a prediction. Download pdf 85 kb download pdf 85 kb lesson plan text. Jan 16, 2012 read the following word groups aloud several times. You can find links to the exercises at the bottom of the page. Adverbs of certainty express how certain we feel about an action or event.
This lesson plan includes suggested board work, several activities, a game and a collection of specially selected esl resources from around the web. To express certainty in the past, we use must have, cant have and couldnt have. Modal verbs of probability perfect english grammar. Present modal verbs of deduction and probability exercise check through the different uses. As nouns the difference between possibility and certainty is that possibility is the quality of being possible while certainty is the state of being certain. Students begin by preparing questions from the prompts on the worksheet, e. Your subconscious mind will do that job, even without your knowledge, and rush onto your tongue whenever required. In fact, a whole category of adverbs in english is dedicated to expressing certainty. That will be maria on the phone she said shed call. The following modal verbs are used to express possibility. English grammar practice exercise, intermediate level. We can always use had to be meaning must have been to express certainty in.
Adverbs of certainty go before the main verb unless the main verb is to be, in which case the adverb of certainty goes after. As im sure you will understand, we cannot wait any longer for our order. Efl esl activities and games for expressing possibility with may and might an esl lesson plan for teaching elementary level students a2 how to express possibility in english. Expressing certainty and uncertainty english with simo. Several modal verbs show possibility, including might, may, could, and must. When you are communicating academic ideas, you are trying to persuade your reader that your ideas or the ideas of others that you present are worth taking seriously. And the next lesson, well focus on ability and the other uses, so try not to worry about them right now. English esl possibility worksheets most downloaded 16.
Start studying cae exam practice expressing possibility, probability and certainty. Divide the students into pairs and give each student a copy of the worksheet. Unit 7 possibility and probability oxford living grammar explains how grammar works and when to use it. If you are sure or not sure about something, you can use below phrases and expressions to express your certainty uncertainty. How to use possibility vs probability correctly grammarist. Expressing certainty and possibility upperintermediate. For example, after a shopping trip you go to the train station to return home. Expressing possibility and impossibility lifelong learning. Expressing possibility we use may, might and could to express possibility in the past and in the future. How to use modal verbs of probability also called modal auxiliary verbs of speculation, deduction or certainty. Academic word list expressing certainty and uncertainty do the awl words and phrases below express certainty or uncertainty.
This could include convincing your boss you deserve a raise. Expressing certainty and uncertainty in english basic. Modal verbs possibility certainty esl activities games worksheets. Todays lesson will focus on using modal verbs for certainty, probability, and deduction. Modal verbs of possibility and certainty pdf esl activities, games and. They cannot be used with the willfuture, they have no infinitive, no toinfinitive, no ing form, and no past participle.
In this exercise you will practise using modal verbs to express present probability. Expressing possibility, probability and certainty possibility detail 1 may, may not, might, might not,could to say its possible that something is true, happens or will happen, but we dont know. Jun 19, 2015 how to express possibilityprobability in english spoken english lesson esl when we talk about the future we often dont know what will happen. Choose from 500 different sets of expressions of certainty flashcards on quizlet. Modals are quite tricky to handle for foreigners who try to find equivalents and, most of the times, cant in their own languages. Pdf the expression of certainty and uncertainty in italian speaking. In task two, they have to complete with the correct expression from the list. Learn expressions of certainty with free interactive flashcards. The exercises use reallife situations to practise grammar in context. Expressing possibility efl esl activities, games and. Modals of possibility when you are sure something is possible or true must he must be cold 16. The more real english phrases and expressions you listen to, the more fluent you will become, to be sure. Expressing certainty we use must to express that something is necessary true or logically true. Modals of possibility and probability for past situations.
Dec 30, 2010 it is sometimes used to express inference or possibility or certainty. The subtleties surrounding certainty, for example, can determine how a speaker should respond or what actions she should take. We can always use had to be meaning must have been to express certainty in the past. To talk about past ability and possibility, we use couldcouldnt or. Mar 27, 2011 modals of possibility when you are sure something is possible or true must make a sentence with must 15. B may, might, and could might tends to be a bit more tentative than may, but both indicate rather probability. This lesson consolidates your students knowledge of expressing possibility and probability with the modal verbs may, might, could, must and cant with the opportunity to. Click here for all the exercises about modal verbs we can use these modal verbs also called modals of deduction, speculation or certainty when we want to make a guess about something. Expressing possibility, probability and certainty by yuliya. In english ability, possibility, and obligation are often expressed using a type of verb called a model verb. Modals of possibility and probability for past situations exercise 1 choose the correct modal to complete the sentence. In some cases, there is more than one right answer.
Put it into your phone or mp3 player and take your english learning anywhere. A in general the usual restrictions on the use of modals remain valid. These esl lesson plans and worksheets are in pdf format. Click here to download this exercise in pdf with answers.
The modal auxiliaries will, shall, can and must can be used to express complete certainty. To express certainty in the present, we use must, cantandcouldnt. Expressing certainty and possibility upperintermediate esl. Possibility and probability are similar in meaning, but there is a slight difference. Neither do the ones dealt with here, in these meanings, have a past form. Modals of certainty in the present exercise 1 choose the correct modal to complete the sentence. How to express possibilityprobability in english spoken english lesson esl when we talk about the future we often dont know what will happen. It is sometimes used to express inference or possibility or certainty. We will examine the definitions of possibility and probability, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. So this is how likely something is to happen or if its possible at all. Modal verbs of probability exercise 1 perfect english grammar. They must be here somewhere because i used them to open the front door. Modal verbs of certainty, probability and possibility.
This modal verbs for possibility lesson shows you how to use them all correctly in english. Expressing ability, possibility and obligation in this lesson youll learn how to express ability, possibility, and obligation. It is an auxiliary helping to give opinions and judgements on actions. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
To answer this, we propose a novel theory based on the certainty expressed in language that is applicable to many. Im convinced that chances are that this will probably happen odds are that this will probably happen i seriously doubt it. Use must, might, may, could, or cant plus the correct form of the verb to fill in the blanks in the quiz. When you are sure something is possible or true must when you are sure something is not possible or true cant when youre not sure might may could modals of. For possibility and certainty in the past may have done etc. Must to express inference or possibility english grammar.
Expressing possibility, probability and certainty by. That must be maria on the phone shes the only person with my new number. May shows possibility in the present or the future. As peu indicates, here will expresses certainty about the present situation where you well understand the emergency. Possibility and impossibility to say that something is possible, probable and impossible, use the following expressions.
This esl lesson plan contains activities, games and resources that teach upperintermediate level students how to express certainty and possibility in english. Jul 23, 2011 expressing certainty and uncertainty english with simo. Expressions to sound persuasive and convincing most peoples jobs require them to influence other people a lot of the time. Modals of possibility when you are sure something is possible or true must he must be cold he must be mad. Modal verbs of probability exercise pdf autoenglish. But at this example we can not say it is only reflect past tense, it might refer to future or. May, might and must are modal verbs that cause confusion for some learners. Will can express certainty or confidence about present or future situations. Fill in each gap using must, cant, could, may or might.