Uses of 'Possibly': How and When to Use in English
Quick and simple lesson to help you understand grammar better.
Test your English and learn even more with Gymglish.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Uses of 'Possibly'
Possibly expresses possibility or chance:
I'll do everything I possibly can. I will do everything within my power.
Exercise 1
Polly: I have everything prepared for tomorrow. What could go wrong?
Horatio: Even if you feel confident, it smart to pray to the gods of bureaucratic stupidity.
Horatio: Even if you feel confident, it smart to pray to the gods of bureaucratic stupidity.
Polly: I have everything prepared for tomorrow. What could possibly 1 go wrong?
Horatio: Even if you feel confident, it might be 2 smart to pray to the gods of bureaucratic stupidity.
Horatio: Even if you feel confident, it might be 2 smart to pray to the gods of bureaucratic stupidity.
1 possibly: 'Possibly' expresses the possibility or the chance that something could go wrong tomorrow. It is the best choice here.
1 possible: 'Possible' expresses possibility, but in this case we must use an adverb, and not an adjective. 'Possible' is grammatically incorrect here.
1 may: Although 'may' expresses possibility or chance, to say 'could may' would be grammatically incorrect.
1 might be: Although 'might be' expresses possibility, to say 'could might' is grammatically incorrect and redundant.
2 might be: 'Might be' expresses both possibility, and completes this sentence correctly. This sentence requires a verb (be) following the auxiliary which expresses possibility (might).
2 may: Although 'may' expresses possibility or chance, this sentence requires a verb following an auxiliary. 'May be' would work, but 'may' does not.
2 possible: 'Possible' is grammatically incorrect here. This sentence requires a verb following an auxiliary.
2 possibly: Although 'possibly' expresses possibility or chance, this sentence requires a verb following an auxiliary. 'possibly be' would work, but 'possibly' does not.
Exercise 2
Use the words from this list to fill in the blanks below.
Some of the terms may be used more than once and some of the terms not at all. However, you should not leave any of the blanks empty!
may | may be | possible | possibly
'Did you hear that their company might go bankrupt?'
'I know. I read that the CEO even be charged with bank fraud! , the CEO's wife is involved too. These days, anything is .'
Some of the terms may be used more than once and some of the terms not at all. However, you should not leave any of the blanks empty!
may | may be | possible | possibly
'Did you hear that their company might go bankrupt?'
'I know. I read that the CEO even be charged with bank fraud! , the CEO's wife is involved too. These days, anything is .'
Use the words from this list to fill in the blanks below.
Some of the terms may be used more than once and some of the terms not at all. However, you should not leave any of the blanks empty!
may | may be | possible | possibly
'Did you hear that their company might possibly 1 go bankrupt?'
'I know. I read that the CEO may 2 even be charged with bank fraud! Possibly 3, the CEO's wife is involved too. These days, anything is possible 4.'
Some of the terms may be used more than once and some of the terms not at all. However, you should not leave any of the blanks empty!
may | may be | possible | possibly
'Did you hear that their company might possibly 1 go bankrupt?'
'I know. I read that the CEO may 2 even be charged with bank fraud! Possibly 3, the CEO's wife is involved too. These days, anything is possible 4.'
1 possibly: 'Possibly' is the best choice here because it is the only choice which can follow the auxiliary 'might'.
2 may: 'May' is the only choice which expresses probability and fits this sentence's construction. In this phrase, 'may' is an auxiliary, which expresses possibility. It precedes the main verb 'to charge', which is used in the passive voice here.
3 Possibly: 'Possibly' expresses probability here. It is the only choice which correctly fits the sentence's construction.
4 possible: 'Possible' is the best choice because it expresses probability and fits the sentence's construction. 'Anything is possible' is a common English idiom meaning that 'nothing is impossible'.
Exercise 3
Last week, I was thinking about going on a date with Philip. I thought that he wasn't such a bad guy after all. For example, I thought to myself, it couldn't be true that he sometimes dates two women at once. Then, I saw him kissing his colleague's wife! I am absolutely sure of it... I'm not going out with him!
Last week, I was thinking about possibly 1 going on a date with Philip. I thought that maybe 2 he wasn't such a bad guy after all. For example, I thought to myself, it couldn't possibly 3 be true that he sometimes dates two women at once. Then, I saw him kissing his colleague's wife! I am absolutely sure of it... I'm definitely 4 not going out with him!
1 possibly: 'Possibly' correctly expresses the chance that the speaker will agree to go on a date with Philip.
1 possible: We always use an adverb to precede a verb in constructions like these. 'Possible' is an adjective, and cannot be used here.
2 maybe: 'Maybe' is the best choice here because it fits into the sentence's construction and correctly expresses the possibility that Philip isn't as much of a rogue as he is said to be.
2 might: 'Might' is almost always preceded by the subject of the sentence, for example 'I might be wrong' (interrogative constructions are an exception to this general tendency). We could not say 'I thought that might he'.
2 may be: 'May be' should be contracted to one single word in this case: 'maybe'. As two separate words, the phrase takes on a different meaning.
3 possibly: 'Possibly' correctly expresses the chance that Philip's actually has dated two women simultaneously.
3 maybe: We would not say 'couldn't maybe' because it is grammatically incorrect.
4 definitely: 'Definitely' is the best choice here because it expresses the certainty that speaker will not date Philip.
4 possibly: Although 'possibly' is grammatically correct, we can see from the context and the emphatic nature of the phrase, that we need a word which expresses certainty, and not possibility.
4 maybe: Although 'maybe' is grammatically correct, we can see from the context and the emphatic nature of the phrase, that we need a word which expresses certainty, and not possibility.
Exercise 4
It is that tomorrow's meeting about stress-management has been canceled. On the other hand, Polly moved it to next Thursday. We should find out this afternoon.
It is possible 1 that tomorrow's meeting about stress-management has been canceled. On the other hand, Polly possibly 2 moved it to next Thursday. We should find out this afternoon.
1 possible: 'Possible' is the best choice here. We use the adjective 'possible' because it fits the construction, and correctly expresses doubt or possibility.
1 possibly: 'Possibly' is an adverb, and in this case and does not fit this construction. Using 'possibly' here forms a grammatically incorrect construction.
1 possibility: 'Possibility' is a noun, and in this case we must use an adjective to correctly complete this sentence. Also, nouns like 'possibility' are almost always preceded by an article.
2 possibly: 'Possibly' is the best choice here. We use the adverb 'possibly' because it fits the construction, and correctly expresses doubt or possibility.
2 possible: We cannot use 'possible' here because it is an adjective, and in this case the construction requires an adverb.
2 might: Although 'might' expresses possibility, it does not fit in this sentence. The sentence would be correct if we said 'Polly might have moved the meeting to next Thursday'.
Exercise 5
Freddie: Mr. Oléré?
Horatio: Yes, Freddie?
Freddie: I have the day off tomorrow? I want to go to a rave party with my friends.
Horatio: . I'll have to think about it. By the way, have you seen the pheromones I was using for my next perfumes?
Freddie: Uhhhhhh, no. I haven't seen them. I have to go now Mr. Oléré, I have several dates tonight.
Horatio: Okay, Freddie. Adios. Where could those chemicals have gone?
Horatio: Yes, Freddie?
Freddie: I have the day off tomorrow? I want to go to a rave party with my friends.
Horatio: . I'll have to think about it. By the way, have you seen the pheromones I was using for my next perfumes?
Freddie: Uhhhhhh, no. I haven't seen them. I have to go now Mr. Oléré, I have several dates tonight.
Horatio: Okay, Freddie. Adios. Where could those chemicals have gone?
Freddie: Mr. Oléré?
Horatio: Yes, Freddie?
Freddie: Could 1 I have the day off tomorrow? I want to go to a rave party with my friends.
Horatio: Possibly 2. I'll have to think about it. By the way, have you seen the pheromones I was using for my next perfumes?
Freddie: Uhhhhhh, no. I haven't seen them. I have to go now Mr. Oléré, I have several dates tonight.
Horatio: Okay, Freddie. Adios. Where could those chemicals have possibly 3 gone?
Horatio: Yes, Freddie?
Freddie: Could 1 I have the day off tomorrow? I want to go to a rave party with my friends.
Horatio: Possibly 2. I'll have to think about it. By the way, have you seen the pheromones I was using for my next perfumes?
Freddie: Uhhhhhh, no. I haven't seen them. I have to go now Mr. Oléré, I have several dates tonight.
Horatio: Okay, Freddie. Adios. Where could those chemicals have possibly 3 gone?
1 Could: 'Could' is the best way to begin this question. 'Could I have...?' is a polite construction for a question.
1 Possibly: We could not use 'possibly' here to introduce a question.
1 Maybe: We must use a verb to introduce this question, so 'maybe' would not work. On the other hand, 'may I have the day off' would work well in this construction.
2 Possibly: 'Possibly' correctly expresses Horatio's indecision, and alone, the construction requires an adverb.
2 Possible: We should use an adverb in this case. The adjective 'possible' does not work here.
2 May: 'May' by itself does not make sense here. On the other hand, 'maybe' would be a good choice here, if it were offered.
3 possibly: 'Possibly' is the best choice here because it expresses Horatio's uncertainty about the location of the chemicals.
3 maybe: 'Maybe' does not fit here because this construction requires a a different adverb such as 'possibly'.
Still facing difficulties with 'Uses of 'Possibly''? Improve your English with Gymglish's English lessons - try our online English course for free now and receive a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Find out about other grammar rules. Improve your English further and test Gymglish, online English lessons.
Tips for learning 'Uses of 'Possibly''? Share them with us!
