modal verb + modal adverb – English Grammar Profiler

maximios

0 6

Hedging is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, the sentence “I might possibly go to the party” uses the modal verb “might” and the modal adverb “possibly” to hedge the speaker’s commitment to going to the party. The speaker is not sure if they will go to the party, but they are open to the possibility.
Emphasis is used to express strong belief or conviction. For example, the sentence “I must definitely go to the party” uses the modal verb “must” and the modal adverb “definitely” to emphasize the speaker’s belief that they have to go to the party. The speaker is very sure that they will go to the party.

B1 Point 57 in the English Grammar Profile, in the category of MODALITY/adverbs, is defined as:

modal verb + modal adverb to modify an assertion, either through hedging or emphasis.

B1 point 81 in modality/adverbs is defined as:

increasing range of adverbs, for emphasis

However, when we check the EGP examples for point 57 which include: surely|certainly|probably, we soon see that this point clashes with B2 and C1 for ‘probably’ and ‘surely’. Only the use of ‘certainly’ does not clash when used with any modal verb except ‘can’.

Point 81 examples include ‘certainly|obviously|definitely’. However, there is an A2 grammar point that clashes for definitely and probably.

A search code for iWeb corpus:

_VM surely|certainly|probably _V*I

1 WILL PROBABLY BE 60697 2 WOULD PROBABLY BE 47350

3 WILL PROBABLY HAVE 16314

4 WILL CERTAINLY BE 15649

This book will certainly be of great use to them.

assamtribune.com

5 WOULD PROBABLY HAVE 14350 6 ‘LL PROBABLY BE 12091

7 WOULD CERTAINLY BE 10493

That would certainly be in line with my findings.

listen

8 WILL SURELY BE 10382 9 SHOULD PROBABLY BE 8813 10 WILL PROBABLY NEED 8448 11 WILL PROBABLY GET 7372 12 ‘LL PROBABLY HAVE 7208 13 WILL PROBABLY WANT 6433 14 CAN CERTAINLY BE 6256 15 ‘D PROBABLY BE 5892 16 ‘LL PROBABLY WANT 5523 17 WILL PROBABLY TAKE 5325 18 WILL PROBABLY FIND 4952 19 ‘LL PROBABLY GET 4394 20 CAN PROBABLY GET 4366 21 WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE 3998 22 COULD PROBABLY BE 3967 23 ‘LL PROBABLY NEED 3898 24 WILL PROBABLY GO 3838 25 COULD PROBABLY GET 3802 26 WOULD SURELY BE 3728 27 ‘LL PROBABLY FIND 3639 28 CAN PROBABLY BE 3572 29 WILL CERTAINLY HELP 3565 30 WILL PROBABLY END 3518 31 WILL PROBABLY DO 3419 32 WILL PROBABLY MAKE 3412 33 ‘D PROBABLY HAVE 3221 34 CAN PROBABLY FIND 3089

35 COULD PROBABLY DO 2988

36 CAN PROBABLY GUESS 2957 (B2)

You can probably guess where this is going, right?

37 CAN PROBABLY TELL 2933 38 WOULD PROBABLY MAKE 2917 39 WOULD PROBABLY WORK 2854 40 WOULD PROBABLY DO 2821 41 WOULD PROBABLY TAKE 2760 42 WOULD PROBABLY GET 2741 43 WOULD SURELY HAVE 2698 44 WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND 2687 45 WILL PROBABLY SEE 2675 46 WOULD PROBABLY GO 2648 47 WILL CERTAINLY HAVE 2538 48 WILL PROBABLY COME 2511 49 MUST SURELY BE 2483 50 COULD CERTAINLY BE 2459 51 WILL SURELY MAKE 2324 52 WOULD PROBABLY NEED 2291 53 CAN CERTAINLY HELP 2210 54 WOULD PROBABLY SAY 2209 55 WILL CERTAINLY MAKE 2197 56 WILL PROBABLY WORK 2178 57 COULD PROBABLY USE 2145 58 SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE 2117 59 ‘LL PROBABLY END 2115 60 CAN CERTAINLY SEE 2027 61 WILL PROBABLY USE 1993 62 SHOULD CERTAINLY BE 1968 63 WOULD PROBABLY WANT 1917 64 CAN PROBABLY DO 1916 65 WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE 1912 66 WILL SURELY HELP 1896 67 ‘LL PROBABLY SEE 1853 68 WILL SURELY HAVE 1713 69 COULD PROBABLY MAKE 1695 70 SHOULD PROBABLY GET 1665 71 CAN CERTAINLY MAKE 1656 72 ‘LL CERTAINLY BE 1652 73 WILL PROBABLY START 1649 74 ‘LL PROBABLY GO 1586 75 ‘LL PROBABLY DO 1583 76 WILL PROBABLY LOOK 1573 77 WILL PROBABLY GIVE 1570 78 COULD PROBABLY HAVE 1555

79 WILL PROBABLY TRY 1527

80 WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE 1507 81 CAN CERTAINLY DO 1493 82 CAN CERTAINLY USE 1492 83 SHOULD PROBABLY GO 1464 84 WOULD PROBABLY USE 1393 85 WOULD CERTAINLY HELP 1390 86 WILL SURELY GET 1358 87 ‘D PROBABLY GO 1343 88 CAN PROBABLY SEE 1338 89 COULD PROBABLY FIND 1313 90 WILL PROBABLY REQUIRE 1310 91 ‘D PROBABLY GET 1301 92 WILL CERTAINLY GET 1299 93 WOULD PROBABLY LOOK 1271 94 WOULD PROBABLY HELP 1262 95 ‘D PROBABLY WANT 1258 96 WILL SURELY COME 1255 97 WILL SURELY FIND 1240 98 CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND 1220 99 WILL PROBABLY FEEL 1206

100 WILL PROBABLY CHANGE 1184

A2 vocabulary:

certainly, could, guess, must, probably, should, try

*Note that ‘surely’ is listed as B2 vocabulary.

More examples:

This book will surely be of help to both insiders and outsiders to gain knowledge of the language.

assamtribune.com

If a professor catches you cheating, they will certainly give you a failing grade.

bookriot.com

_VM obviously|definitely _VVI

1 WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND 24646

I would definitely recommend it.

2 WILL DEFINITELY USE 7001 3 WILL DEFINITELY HELP 4976 4 WILL DEFINITELY MAKE 4821 5 WOULD DEFINITELY USE 4480 6 CAN DEFINITELY SEE 4360 7 WILL DEFINITELY GET 3506 8 WILL DEFINITELY RECOMMEND 3492 9 WILL DEFINITELY TRY 2904

10 WILL DEFINITELY WANT 2765