BE + bound | likely | meant | obliged + TO – English Grammar Profiler
*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 meant to’, ‘be bound to’, ‘be sure to’, ‘be certain to’, ‘be obliged to’) with present and past forms of ‘be’ and with modal ‘will’
Point 155:
‘be’ (+modifier) ‘likely to’ to talk about probability
Point 167:
‘be’ (+ modifier) ‘bound to’ to talk about something certain or inevitable.
Point 170:
‘BE OBLIGED TO’, OBLIGATION
to talk about an external obligation, especially in institutional contexts.
Point 172:
‘be meant to’ to talk about ideal states
B1 vocab in the top 50 Ngrams with ‘BE likely to’:
continue (2)
develop (1)
experience (1)
increase (2)
lead (1)
likely (49) *this is already B1
produce (1)
remain (2)
result (1)
An iWeb search for _vb likely to _vvi
1 ARE LIKELY TO SEE 4493
2 ARE LIKELY TO GET 4022
3 IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE 3851
4 IS LIKELY TO CAUSE 3534 5 ARE LIKELY TO FIND 3350 6 IS LIKELY TO BECOME 3067 7 IS LIKELY TO GET 2940 8 IS LIKELY TO INCREASE 2871 9 IS LIKELY TO REMAIN 2701 10 IS LIKELY TO TAKE 2602 11 IS LIKELY TO MAKE 2491 12 IS LIKELY TO RESULT 2439 13 IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN 2335 14 ARE LIKELY TO BECOME 2300 15 IS LIKELY TO COME 2135
16 IS LIKELY TO OCCUR 2117
17 ‘RE LIKELY TO SEE 2045
18 IS LIKELY TO CHANGE 2001 19 IS LIKELY TO LEAD 1978 20 ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE 1895 21 ARE LIKELY TO COME 1827 22 ‘RE LIKELY TO FIND 1790 23 ARE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER 1724 24 ARE LIKELY TO MAKE 1718 25 ARE LIKELY TO REMAIN 1633 26 IS LIKELY TO GO 1601 27 ARE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE 1600 28 ‘RE LIKELY TO GET 1578 29 IS LIKELY TO SEE 1559 30 ARE LIKELY TO NEED 1465 31 ARE LIKELY TO TAKE 1436 32 ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR 1420 33 ARE LIKELY TO INCREASE 1365 34 ARE LIKELY TO USE 1317 35 ARE LIKELY TO FACE 1260 36 ARE LIKELY TO GO 1209 37 ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE 1200 38 IS LIKELY TO GROW 1190 39 IS LIKELY TO AFFECT 1120 40 ARE LIKELY TO CHANGE 1060 41 IS LIKELY TO COST 1008 42 ARE LIKELY TO FEEL 971 43 IS LIKELY TO INCLUDE 932 44 IS LIKELY TO FALL 920 45 IS LIKELY TO GIVE 912 46 ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP 897 47 ARE LIKELY TO RECEIVE 896 48 ARE LIKELY TO INCLUDE 864 49 IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE 861
50 IS LIKELY TO FACE 857
‘meant to’ is B1 in the EVP
1 IS MEANT TO HELP 2262
2 IS MEANT TO PROVIDE 1446
3 ARE MEANT TO HELP 1276 4 IS MEANT TO GIVE 1074 5 IS MEANT TO MAKE 845 6 ARE MEANT TO PROVIDE 776 7 IS MEANT TO SERVE 743 8 IS MEANT TO REPRESENT 683
9 IS MEANT TO PROTECT 657
10 IS MEANT TO SHOW 591 11 ARE MEANT TO MAKE 584 12 ARE MEANT TO GIVE 493 13 ARE MEANT TO PROTECT 461 14 IS MEANT TO KEEP 442 15 IS MEANT TO WORK 442 16 IS MEANT TO BRING 434 17 ARE MEANT TO SERVE 428
18 IS MEANT TO ENCOURAGE 378
19 ARE MEANT TO REPRESENT 366
20 WAS MEANT TO HELP 361
1 ‘RE BOUND TO FIND 1728 2 ARE BOUND TO FIND 1254 3 WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN 1198 4 ARE BOUND TO GET 1046 5 IS BOUND TO HAPPEN 1015 6 IS BOUND TO MAKE 948 7 ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN 930 8 IS BOUND TO GET 927 9 ARE BOUND TO MAKE 635 10 ‘RE BOUND TO GET 608 11 IS BOUND TO COME 507 12 IS BOUND TO BECOME 470 13 ARE BOUND TO COME 452
14 IS BOUND TO FAIL 424
15 ‘S BOUND TO HAPPEN 393
16 ‘RE BOUND TO SEE 390 17 ARE BOUND TO LOVE 375 18 ARE BOUND TO SEE 359 19 IS BOUND TO BRING 306
20 IS BOUND TO CAUSE 303
1 BE OBLIGED TO PAY 407 2 IS OBLIGED TO PAY 292 3 ARE OBLIGED TO PAY 254 4 IS OBLIGED TO PROVIDE 221 5 ARE OBLIGED TO PROVIDE 219 6 IS OBLIGED TO MAKE 200 7 ARE OBLIGED TO TAKE 178
8 ARE OBLIGED TO MAKE 172
9 WAS OBLIGED TO LEAVE 164
10 IS OBLIGED TO TAKE 155 11 ARE OBLIGED TO GIVE 149 12 BE OBLIGED TO GIVE 148 13 BE OBLIGED TO MAKE 147 14 ARE OBLIGED TO FOLLOW 142 15 WAS OBLIGED TO TAKE 141 16 WAS OBLIGED TO GIVE 135 17 IS OBLIGED TO GIVE 125 18 BE OBLIGED TO TAKE 123 19 BE OBLIGED TO PROVIDE 119
20 WAS OBLIGED TO GO 118
is meant to suggest