Be bound to and be bound for: How and When to Use in English
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Be bound to and be bound for
Be bound to or be bound for are used to express an unavoidable action. Be bound to is followed by a verb, be bound for by a noun.
She's bound to fail. She's certain to fail. It's very probable that she will fail.
She is bound for stardom. She is destined to be a star. It's very likely that she will be famous.
He's bound to be upset if you treat him improperly. He will certainly be upset if you don't treat him properly.
It's bound to happen. It's inevitably going to happen. It's sure to happen.
Bound for has the same meaning as "destined for", in both senses of the term:
This plane is bound for Shanghai. This plane's destination is Shanghai.
Horatio's perfumes are bound for international success. Horatio's perfumes will definitely obtain international success.
Exercise 1
Polly: Horatio cause a disaster if he keeps on drinking during work hours.
Susie: I'm sure he'll be fine.
Polly: I'm serious. I really think he's a dangerous alcoholic.
Susie: Oh, you think that about everybody.
Polly: I do not! I swear I'm crazy at this place.
Susie: Yeah, it happen eventually.
Susie: I'm sure he'll be fine.
Polly: I'm serious. I really think he's a dangerous alcoholic.
Susie: Oh, you think that about everybody.
Polly: I do not! I swear I'm crazy at this place.
Susie: Yeah, it happen eventually.
Polly: Horatio is bound to 1 cause a disaster if he keeps on drinking during work hours.
Susie: I'm sure he'll be fine.
Polly: I'm serious. I really think he's a dangerous alcoholic.
Susie: Oh, you think that about everybody.
Polly: I do not! I swear I'm going to go 2 crazy at this place.
Susie: Yeah, it is bound to 3 happen eventually.
Susie: I'm sure he'll be fine.
Polly: I'm serious. I really think he's a dangerous alcoholic.
Susie: Oh, you think that about everybody.
Polly: I do not! I swear I'm going to go 2 crazy at this place.
Susie: Yeah, it is bound to 3 happen eventually.
1 is bound to: When Polly says, 'Horatio is bound to cause some disaster', she is saying that this is an inevitability. This is the best choice here.
1 is destined for: 'Is destined for' is usually followed by a noun, not a verb. For example: 'This company is destined for success'.
1 is without a doubt: 'Is without a doubt' is usually followed by a noun, not a verb. As in the sentence, 'Bruno is without a doubt a shrewd businessman'.
2 going to go: When Polly says, 'I'm going to go crazy', she is saying that this is an inevitability. This is the best choice here.
2 likely to: 'I'm likely to' is usually followed by a verb, not an adjective. We could say, however: 'Polly is likely to go crazy'.
2 without a doubt: 'I'm without a doubt' is usually followed by a noun, not an adjective. As in the sentence, 'He is without a doubt a talented acrobat'.
2 bound to: 'I'm bound to' is usually followed by a verb, not an adjective. We could say, however: 'Polly is bound to go crazy'.
3 is bound to: 'It is bound to happen' is a common expression in English. It means 'it is inevitable'. This is the best choice here.
3 is going to go: 'It is going to go happen' is grammatically incorrect. We could say, however: 'It is going to happen'.
3 is without a doubt: 'It is without a doubt happen' is grammatically incorrect. The phrase 'without a doubt' is often followed by a noun, but in some cases it can be used as an independent clause. 'He is a shrewd businessman, without a doubt'.
3 is destined for: 'It is destined for happen' is grammatically incorrect. We could say, however: 'It is destined to happen' or 'it was destined to happen'.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks in the text using the following phrases. Be careful! Some may be used more than once, or not at all.
bound to | going to go | without a doubt | destined for
I packed my bags in the morning. It was certain, my mother was crazy when she saw I had left. But I was a greater life. I was the only person in my town who could sing like a honey-voiced castrato. Such talent didn't simply grow on trees. I was to Hollywood. I was be a star!
bound to | going to go | without a doubt | destined for
I packed my bags in the morning. It was certain, my mother was crazy when she saw I had left. But I was a greater life. I was the only person in my town who could sing like a honey-voiced castrato. Such talent didn't simply grow on trees. I was to Hollywood. I was be a star!
Fill in the blanks in the text using the following phrases. Be careful! Some may be used more than once, or not at all.
bound to | going to go | without a doubt | destined for
I packed my bags in the morning. It was certain, my mother was going to go 1 crazy when she saw I had left. But I was destined for 2 a greater life. I was the only person in my town who could sing like a honey-voiced castrato. Such talent didn't simply grow on trees. I was going to go 3 to Hollywood. I was bound to 4 be a star!
bound to | going to go | without a doubt | destined for
I packed my bags in the morning. It was certain, my mother was going to go 1 crazy when she saw I had left. But I was destined for 2 a greater life. I was the only person in my town who could sing like a honey-voiced castrato. Such talent didn't simply grow on trees. I was going to go 3 to Hollywood. I was bound to 4 be a star!
1 going to go: This is the best choice here. 'Going to go' expresses the inevitability of the narrator's mother's distress. It is sure that she will go crazy.
2 destined for: This is the best choice here. 'I was destined for a greater life' expresses the aspirations of the narrator.
3 going to go: This is the best choice here. The expression 'going to go' is appropriate for expressing a future action or movement such as this one.
4 bound to: This is the best choice here. 'I was bound be a star' expresses the inevitability of the narrator to achieve stardom.
Exercise 3
Philip: I the most valuable employee here at Delavigne.
Susie: Yeah, you're priceless alright.
Philip: I greatness and I reach the greatest heights.
Susie: I only hope I'm there to push.
Susie: Yeah, you're priceless alright.
Philip: I greatness and I reach the greatest heights.
Susie: I only hope I'm there to push.
Philip: I am without a doubt 1 the most valuable employee here at Delavigne.
Susie: Yeah, you're priceless alright.
Philip: I am destined for 2 greatness and I am bound to 3 reach the greatest heights.
Susie: I only hope I'm there to push.
Susie: Yeah, you're priceless alright.
Philip: I am destined for 2 greatness and I am bound to 3 reach the greatest heights.
Susie: I only hope I'm there to push.
1 am without a doubt: This is the best choice here. Philip is affirming his value to the company by saying that there is 'no doubt' that he is the most important employee of Delavigne.
1 am bound to: The expression 'to be bound to' is usually followed by a verb, not a noun. Because Philip is not 'tied' ('bound' in the literal sense) to one of his outstanding colleagues, this is incorrect.
1 am destined to: The expression 'to be destined to' is almost always followed by a verb. For example: 'I am destined to do great things'.
2 am destined for: To say that one 'is destined for something' means that 'it is their destiny or fate to be something'. This is the best choice here. Philip is expressing that it is his destiny to be great.
2 am bound to: The expression 'to be bound to' is almost always followed by a verb, not a noun. For example: 'I am bound to be a superstar in Hollywood one day'.
2 am without a doubt: One cannot really be 'greatness'. One can be 'great' and achieve 'greatness', but it would be very unnatural to say 'I am without a doubt greatness'.
3 am bound to: When Philip says, 'I am bound to reach the greatest heights', he is expressing that it is an inevitability that he will have great success.
3 am destined for: 'Am destined for' is almost always followed by a noun, not a verb. It is grammatically incorrect to say 'I am am destined for reach the greatest heights'.
3 am without a doubt: 'Am without a doubt' is almost always followed by a noun, not a verb. It is grammatically incorrect to say 'I am without a doubt reach the greatest heights'.
Exercise 4
Choose the appropriate meaning for each phrase. Be careful! Each answer is used only once:
'Harold is liable to lose his temper' =
'Harold is bound to lose his temper' =
'Harold is apt to lose his temper' =
'Harold is liable to lose his temper' =
'Harold is bound to lose his temper' =
'Harold is apt to lose his temper' =
Choose the appropriate meaning for each phrase. Be careful! Each answer is used only once:
'Harold is liable to lose his temper' = There is a strong chance that Harold will lose his temper 1
'Harold is bound to lose his temper' = It is inevitable that Harold will lose his temper 2
'Harold is apt to lose his temper' = Harold has a tendency to lose his temper 3
'Harold is liable to lose his temper' = There is a strong chance that Harold will lose his temper 1
'Harold is bound to lose his temper' = It is inevitable that Harold will lose his temper 2
'Harold is apt to lose his temper' = Harold has a tendency to lose his temper 3
1 There is a strong chance that Harold will lose his temper: This is correct. The construction 'be liable to...' expresses that there is a risk or strong chance that an action will occur. There is frequently a clause in this type of construction which details the cause or reason for a risk. For example: 'Harold is liable to lose his temper IF the poor sales continue'.
1 It is inevitable that Harold will lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be liable to' construction doesn't express inevitability, but rather risk or strong chance.
1 Harold has a tendency to lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be liable to' construction does not express tendency or habitual actions.
2 It is inevitable that Harold will lose his temper: This is the correct choice. The 'be bound to' construction expresses inevitability, or the certainty that an action or event will occur. In this case, we are saying that it is sure that Harold will lose his temper.
2 Harold has a tendency to lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be bound to' construction does not express that someone has a tendency to do something, but rather that it is inevitable.
2 There is a strong chance that Harold will lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be bound to' construction does not express that someone there is a strong chance or risk of an action occurring, it actually expresses inevitability or certainty.
3 Harold has a tendency to lose his temper: This is the correct choice. The 'be apt to' construction expresses that an action is habitual or that there is a tendency associated with the action. In this case, Harold has a tendency to lose his temper (frequently or habitually).
3 There is a strong chance that Harold will lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be apt to' construction does not express chance or risk that an action will occur, but rather that there is a tendency or habit associated with the particular action.
3 It is inevitable that Harold will lose his temper: This is incorrect. The 'be apt to' construction does not express that an action is inevitable, but rather that an action is habitual.
Exercise 5
Complete the following sentences with the most appropriate term.
Be call me as soon as you arrive. You know that I worry about you.
My daughter is success. She has a brain the size of a planet.
Which do you think is more , that Philip will become a father, or that Susie will become president?
Be call me as soon as you arrive. You know that I worry about you.
My daughter is success. She has a brain the size of a planet.
Which do you think is more , that Philip will become a father, or that Susie will become president?
Complete the following sentences with the most appropriate term.
Be sure to 1 call me as soon as you arrive. You know that I worry about you.
My daughter is bound for 2 success. She has a brain the size of a planet.
Which do you think is more likely 3, that Philip will become a father, or that Susie will become president?
Be sure to 1 call me as soon as you arrive. You know that I worry about you.
My daughter is bound for 2 success. She has a brain the size of a planet.
Which do you think is more likely 3, that Philip will become a father, or that Susie will become president?
1 sure to: "Be sure to call me" has the same meaning as "Make sure you call me" or "Don't fail to call me": it is an instruction which conveys the importance of an action (in this case, calling). A similar example: "Be sure to send me the address of where you're staying".
1 bound to: The construction "to be bound to" is generally not used in the imperative form, and it cannot be used to give someone an instruction or make a request. It is generally used to describe something which has a very high probability of occurring. For example: "Let's keep watching him closely: he is bound to make a mistake eventually".
1 likely to: The construction "to be likely to" is generally not used in the imperative form, and it cannot be used to give someone an instruction or make a request. It is generally used to describe something which has a relatively high probability of occurring. For example: "We are likely to need more chairs for the event".
2 bound for: "To be bound for (something)" and "to be bound to (do something)" have a similar meaning to "to be sure to (do something)". Both express a very high probability of something occurring. For example: "She is bound to fail / she is sure to fail". Note that we use "to be bound for" here immediately before the noun "success".
2 sure to: "To be sure to" must be followed by a verb, not a noun like "success". We could say "My daughter is sure to succeed" (the verb from which the noun "success" is formed).
2 likely for: We do not say that someone is "likely for something" in English. We could say that someone is "likely to succeed" (using the verb "to succeed", from which the noun "success" is formed).
3 likely: If an event or occurrence is "likely", then it has a relatively high probability of happening. This question asks which of two events has a higher probability of occurring. Another example: "A reality TV personality becoming president? Do you think that's likely?".
3 sure to: The construction "to be sure to" must be immediately followed by a verb, and cannot come at the end of a sentence. We could say: "Susie is sure to become president one day".
3 bound: We cannot describe an event as "bound". The construction "to be bound to" (always followed by a verb) describes an action which has a very high probability of happening. For example: "Your dad is cool: he is bound to like your new tattoo".
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