negation + adverb with modality – English Grammar Profiler

Here are examples of using stance adverbs with negative modality:

It will not necessarily be progress for India if she simply imports the unhappiness of the West.

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The phrase “not necessarily” means that what has been said or suggested may not be true or unavoidable. In the sentence above. it implies that importing the unhappiness of the West is not a certain or inevitable outcome of progress for India. It also suggests that there may be other ways of achieving progress that do not involve importing the unhappiness of the West.

Now‘s not actually a great time to talk.

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The phrase “not actually” is used to indicate that something is not true or not the case in reality, often in contrast to what was expected or assumed. In this sentence, it means that the speaker does not have a good opportunity to talk at the moment, maybe because they are busy or distracted. It can also imply that the speaker is trying to be polite or avoid a conversation.

Here are two formally overlapping C1 grammar points in the English Grammar Profile:

Point 200 in MODALITY/adverbs is defined as:

‘NOT NECESSARILY to express a possible exception to a general perception, i.e. not in every case.

Point 23 in NEGATION is defined as:

HEDGING, ‘not’ + stance adverb, often in a mid position, to soften the directness of a statement.

The examples in the EGP include:

necessarily|really|actually

In the English Vocabulary Profile, “necessarily” is defined:

B2 used in negatives to mean ‘in every case’ or ‘therefore’

Our example:

They recently sequenced Pinot Noir, and it also has about 30,000 genes,

so the number of genes you have may not necessarily represent the complexity

or the evolutionary order of any particular species.

A search in iWeb for:

_XX NECESSARILY * * *

1 NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING 3633 2 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE 1948 3 NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS 1312 4 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 1298 5 NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE 1256 6 N’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING 1250 7 NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE . 1141 8 NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER 1080 9 NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME AS 971 10 N’T NECESSARILY NEED TO BE 810 11 NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF 764 12 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOU 685 13 NOT NECESSARILY NEED TO BE 680 14 NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING 666 15 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOU 635

16 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS 609

17 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 546 18 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN IT ‘S 485 19 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT 452 20 NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE 427 21 NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS 405 22 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THEY 397 23 NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE 393 24 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT 364

25 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF 330

26 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THEY 306 27 NOT NECESSARILY BE THE SAME 290 28 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE 287 29 NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME THING 286 30 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT A 285 31 NOT NECESSARILY A SIGN OF 278 32 NOT NECESSARILY IN THE SAME 274 33 NOT NECESSARILY LIMITED TO , 264 34 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU ‘RE 260 35 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE 254 36 NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST WAY 247 37 N’T NECESSARILY THE CASE . 234 38 NOT NECESSARILY AN INDICATION OF 230 39 NOT NECESSARILY BE THE BEST 228 40 NOT NECESSARILY TRUE . 227 41 NOT NECESSARILY BE THE CASE 225 42 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN IT IS 223 43 NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF THE 221 44 NOT NECESSARILY BE ABLE TO 220 45 N’T NECESSARILY A GOOD THING 211 46 NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE THAT 205 47 NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE , 204 48 NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF ANY 203

49 NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE 200

50 N’T NECESSARILY WANT TO BE 198 51 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THERE 191 52 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE 184 53 NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME 181 54 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOUR 178 55 NOT NECESSARILY RESULT IN A 174 56 NOT NECESSARILY AT THE SAME 172 57 NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE OF THE 172 58 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU ARE 170 59 NOT NECESSARILY BE LIMITED TO 169 60 NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE 169

61 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 169

62 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ‘RE 168 63 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU ‘LL 168 64 N’T NECESSARILY NEED TO HAVE 168 65 NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD IDEA 167 66 NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF 167 67 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO GO 164 68 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE 164 69 NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME . 164 70 NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE BETTER 163 71 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO DO 159 72 N’T NECESSARILY GOING TO BE 153 73 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE 153 74 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU WILL 148 75 NOT NECESSARILY . IF YOU 146 76 NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY THAT THE 146 77 NOT NECESSARILY BAD , BUT 145 78 NOT NECESSARILY IN A GOOD 145 79 NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST . 141 80 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN IT WILL 140 81 NOT NECESSARILY AN INDICATOR OF 140 82 NOT NECESSARILY A PROBLEM , 137 83 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT AN 137 84 NOT NECESSARILY . THERE ARE 136 85 N’T NECESSARILY MEAN IT IS 134 86 NOT NECESSARILY BETTER THAN THE 134 87 NOT NECESSARILY LIMITED TO : 132

88 N’T NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THE 130

89 N’T NECESSARILY BE ABLE TO 129

90 NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION 129

91 NOT NECESSARILY LEAD TO A 126 92 NOT NECESSARILY A PROBLEM . 125 93 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME 123 94 N’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO USE 123 95 NOT NECESSARILY IN TERMS OF 123 96 NOT NECESSARILY THE MOST IMPORTANT 123 97 NOT NECESSARILY THE END OF 122 98 NOT NECESSARILY BE A BAD 121 99 NOT NECESSARILY NEED TO HAVE 121

100 NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT WE 119

B2 vocabulary in the above:

agree with, necessarily, reflect, related, represent, representative

—

_XX actually|really * * *

1 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO 2340

I don’t really know what to say.

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2 N’T REALLY KNOW HOW TO 2079 3 NOT REALLY A FAN OF 1290 4 N’T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE 965 5 N’T REALLY WANT TO BE 962 6 NOT REALLY SURE WHAT TO 923

7 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT I 851

8 NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL 824

When I was a kid, I used to think that pork chops and karate chops were the same thing.

I thought they were both pork chops.

My grandmother thought it was cute, and because they were my favorite, she let me keep doing it.

Not really a big deal.

9 NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO 811 10 N’T REALLY KNOW MUCH ABOUT 784 11 N’T REALLY MATTER . 776 12 N’T REALLY WANT TO DO 731 13 N’T REALLY WANT TO GO 716 14 N’T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO 683 15 N’T REALLY NEED TO BE 624 16 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT 609 17 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY 584 18 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE 579 19 NOT REALLY SURE WHAT THE 575 20 N’T REALLY THINK ABOUT IT 558 21 NOT REALLY MUCH OF A 538 22 N’T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO 498 23 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT ‘S 495 24 N’T REALLY SEE THE POINT 492 25 N’T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT 470 26 N’T REALLY HAVE TIME TO 465 27 N’T REALLY HAVE MUCH OF 449 28 N’T REALLY HAVE A LOT 440 29 NOT REALLY A PROBLEM . 436 30 NOT REALLY AN ISSUE . 424 31 NOT REALLY THE CASE . 418 32 N’T REALLY CARE FOR THE 416 33 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU 416 34 N’T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO 415 35 N’T REALLY MATTER TO ME 408 36 N’T REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM 407 37 N’T REALLY MATTER IF YOU 406 38 N’T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE 405 39 NOT REALLY SURE WHAT YOU 399 40 N’T REALLY MAKE SENSE TO 393 41 N’T REALLY WANT TO HAVE 388 42 N’T REALLY WANT TO GET 384 43 N’T REALLY NEED IT . 378 44 N’T REALLY HAVE TO WORRY 375 45 N’T REALLY GO WRONG WITH 368 46 N’T REALLY SEEM TO BE 367 47 NOT REALLY , BUT IT 365 48 N’T REALLY HAVE THE TIME 363 49 NOT REALLY AN OPTION . 359 50 NOT REALLY . IT ‘S 354 51 N’T REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE 353 52 N’T REALLY HAVE A GOOD 346 53 N’T REALLY NEED TO KNOW 344 54 NOT REALLY , BUT I 343 55 N’T REALLY MAKE SENSE . 340 56 N’T REALLY KNOW . 337 57 N’T REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO 321 58 N’T REALLY BE ABLE TO 319 59 NOT REALLY THE POINT . 313 60 N’T REALLY THINK IT ‘S 310 61 NOT REALLY SURE WHAT I 308 62 N’T REALLY HAVE TO DO 306 63 N’T REALLY KNOW . I 302 64 N’T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT 302 65 N’T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO 298 66 NOT REALLY A PROBLEM , 298 67 NOT REALLY GOING TO BE 298 68 N’T REALLY WANT TO SPEND 293 69 N’T REALLY BOTHER ME . 292 70 N’T REALLY MATTER WHAT YOU 289 71 N’T REALLY WANT TO KNOW 288 72 N’T REALLY WANT TO TALK 280 73 NOT ACTUALLY PART OF THE 280 74 NOT REALLY PART OF THE 280 75 N’T REALLY CARE . 277 76 NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN THE 276 77 NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT TO 275 78 NOT REALLY SURE WHAT IT 266 79 N’T REALLY CARE . I 265 80 N’T REALLY LIKE IT . 258 81 N’T REALLY KNOW HOW IT 256 82 N’T REALLY KNOW IF IT 256 83 NOT REALLY , NO . 254 84 NOT REALLY WORTH IT . 253 85 N’T REALLY KNOW , BUT 252 86 N’T REALLY MATTER . THE 249 87 N’T REALLY WORK FOR ME 248 88 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THAT 246 89 N’T REALLY NEED TO DO 244 90 NOT ACTUALLY THE CASE . 244 91 N’T REALLY LIKE THE IDEA 243 92 N’T REALLY MUCH OF A 243 93 N’T REALLY AN OPTION . 242 94 N’T REALLY GET IT . 242 95 N’T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE 241 96 N’T REALLY KNOW WHAT WAS 241 97 N’T REALLY SURE WHAT TO 240 98 NOT REALLY SURE IF I 236 99 N’T REALLY DO ANYTHING . 230

100 N’T REALLY HAVE TO BE 230