Be likely to in inglese
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Be likely to
Be likely to serve ad esprimere un'azione probabile:
It's likely to rain tomorrow. È probabile che piova domani.
Is Bob likely to come? È probabile che Bob venga?
Alla forma negativa, questa espressione può avere due costruzioni:
It isn't likely to rain. È improbabile che piova.
O It's unlikely to rain.
O It's unlikely to rain.
Esercizio 1
Polly: I go crazy working at this place.
Philip: I know what you mean. It the intensity of the work.
Polly: No, not really. I think it's the incompetence of my male colleagues.
Philip: But I'm one of your male colleagues.
Polly: Yes. In fact, it that I'll kill one of you by the end of the week.
Philip: Does this mean we're not going for that drink later?
Polly: It's safe to say that we won't be going for a drink later.
Philip: I think it time for me to leave.
Philip: I know what you mean. It the intensity of the work.
Polly: No, not really. I think it's the incompetence of my male colleagues.
Philip: But I'm one of your male colleagues.
Polly: Yes. In fact, it that I'll kill one of you by the end of the week.
Philip: Does this mean we're not going for that drink later?
Polly: It's safe to say that we won't be going for a drink later.
Philip: I think it time for me to leave.
Polly: I am liable to 1 go crazy working at this place.
Philip: I know what you mean. It is probably 2 the intensity of the work.
Polly: No, not really. I think it's the incompetence of my male colleagues.
Philip: But I'm one of your male colleagues.
Polly: Yes. In fact, it is likely 3 that I'll kill one of you by the end of the week.
Philip: Does this mean we're not going for that drink later?
Polly: It's safe to say that we won't be going for a drink later.
Philip: I think it is probably 4 time for me to leave.
Philip: I know what you mean. It is probably 2 the intensity of the work.
Polly: No, not really. I think it's the incompetence of my male colleagues.
Philip: But I'm one of your male colleagues.
Polly: Yes. In fact, it is likely 3 that I'll kill one of you by the end of the week.
Philip: Does this mean we're not going for that drink later?
Polly: It's safe to say that we won't be going for a drink later.
Philip: I think it is probably 4 time for me to leave.
1 am liable to: This is the best choice here. We use 'liable to' here to express that Polly's insanity or craziness is the possible result of her working at Delavigne.
1 am probably: 'Am probably' cannot precede the verb 'go' in this case. We could say: 'I'm probably going home for Christmas, but I don't know'.
1 am likely: We cannot use 'am likely' here because it must be preceded by the preposition 'to'. For example: 'I'm likely to go crazy...'.
2 is probably: This is the best choice here. 'It is probably' often precedes a noun, like 'intensity'.
2 is liable to: 'It is liable to' must be followed by a verb. It cannot work here, followed by the article 'the'.
2 is likely to: 'It is likely to' must be followed by a verb. It cannot work here, followed by the noun 'pace'.
3 is likely: This is the best choice here. 'It is likely that' uses the impersonal subject 'it'. 'It is likely that I will...' is synonymous with 'I will probably...'.
3 is liable: We cannot use 'liable', because it does not make sense in this construction. We frequently use the term 'liable' to describe a person. For example 'He is liable to hurt himself if he doesn't wear protection'. 'Liable' is rarely used to describe a general subject such as 'it', unless it refers to a specific idea which has already been established.
3 is probably: 'Probably' does not make sense here. We might say 'it is probable...', but as an adverb 'probably' does not fit in this construction. We could say: 'I'll probably kill...'.
4 is probably: 'Probably' is the only correct choice here. The adverb 'probably' expresses that Philip will leave immediately after hearing Polly's rejection.
4 is liable: 'Liable' does not make sense here. We frequently use the term 'liable' to describe a person. For example: 'Horatio is liable to become an alcoholic if he continues to drink so much'. 'Liable' is rarely used to describe a general idea such as 'it'.
4 is likely: 'Likely' does not make sense here. We could say: 'I'm likely to be leaving soon' but this does not have the same meaning, and will probably not be found very often among everyday English.
Esercizio 2
Philip: Is Bruno to come back to the office this afternoon?
Polly: I don't think so, since he will most go out with the board members after his meeting.
Philip: There's a customer who is to cancel his order because it was supposed to arrive two weeks ago. The delay is most a result of the poor weather conditions affecting the delivery.
Polly: I can leave a message on his cell phone.
Philip: Thanks Polly. You're a doll.
Polly : I'm to kill you if you call me 'doll' one more time.
Polly: I don't think so, since he will most go out with the board members after his meeting.
Philip: There's a customer who is to cancel his order because it was supposed to arrive two weeks ago. The delay is most a result of the poor weather conditions affecting the delivery.
Polly: I can leave a message on his cell phone.
Philip: Thanks Polly. You're a doll.
Polly : I'm to kill you if you call me 'doll' one more time.
Philip: Is Bruno likely 1 to come back to the office this afternoon?
Polly: I don't think so, since he will most likely 2 go out with the board members after his meeting.
Philip: There's a customer who is liable 3 to cancel his order because it was supposed to arrive two weeks ago. The delay is most likely 4 a result of the poor weather conditions affecting the delivery.
Polly: I can leave a message on his cell phone.
Philip: Thanks Polly. You're a doll.
Polly : I'm liable 5 to kill you if you call me 'doll' one more time.
Polly: I don't think so, since he will most likely 2 go out with the board members after his meeting.
Philip: There's a customer who is liable 3 to cancel his order because it was supposed to arrive two weeks ago. The delay is most likely 4 a result of the poor weather conditions affecting the delivery.
Polly: I can leave a message on his cell phone.
Philip: Thanks Polly. You're a doll.
Polly : I'm liable 5 to kill you if you call me 'doll' one more time.
1 likely: This is the best choice here. We use 'likely to' to express probability. Philip would like to know if it is probable that Bruno will be returning to the office.
1 liable: 'Liable' is incorrect here because it expresses a possible risk. In this context, it would not be a risk for Philip if Bruno returned to the office. In fact, Philip needs to speak with Bruno quite urgently.
1 probably: 'Probably' is grammatically incorrect here. We cannot use 'probably' followed by the infinitive form of the verb (to come back).
2 likely: This is the best choice here. The adverb 'likely' is used to express the possibility of something happening. Polly is saying that it is very possible (most likely) that Bruno will go out with the board members.
2 can: 'Can' is grammatically incorrect here because it cannot follow 'most' in this sentence.
2 due: 'Due' does not make sense here. 'Be due to' is not often used in questions. It is usually used to express scheduled actions. For example: 'The train is due to arrive at 8 PM'.
3 liable: This is the best choice here. 'Liable' expresses a possible risk. Philip is telling Polly that there is a risk that the customer will cancel.
3 probably: 'Probably' is grammatically incorrect here. We cannot use 'probably' followed by the infinitive form of the verb (to cancel).
3 due: 'Due' does not make sense here. We would not say that someone is 'due' to act in a certain way. 'Due' is usually used to describe facts that are expected to occur. For example: 'His plane is due to arrive at 8 PM'.
4 likely: This is the best choice here. The adverb 'likely' is used to express the possibility of something happening. The delay is 'possibly' the result of the weather.
4 liable: 'Liable' is grammatically incorrect in this construction. We cannot say 'is most liable a result'.
4 always: 'Always' is grammatically incorrect in this case. We could say, however, that delays are 'almost always' the result of poor weather conditions.
5 liable: This is the best choice here. 'Liable' expresses a possible risk. There is a risk that Polly is going to kill Philip if he calls her a 'doll' again.
5 probably: 'Probably' is grammatically incorrect here, even though it expresses possibility. 'Probably' does not often precede 'to'.
5 can: 'Can' is grammatically incorrect here. We cannot use two verbs one directly after another, both conjugated in the present tense ('am can').
Esercizio 3
Bruno: Since these negotiations are taking longer than I had planned, I'm be out of town until next Tuesday. Do you think you could reschedule all of my appointments?
Polly: Sure. That should be no problem. However, you have an extremely important meeting with a potential customer on Monday. And they are refuse another appointment.
Bruno: Well, I do have very urgent matters to attend to out of town. Were they place an order?
Polly: I believe that was the topic of the meeting.
Polly: Sure. That should be no problem. However, you have an extremely important meeting with a potential customer on Monday. And they are refuse another appointment.
Bruno: Well, I do have very urgent matters to attend to out of town. Were they place an order?
Polly: I believe that was the topic of the meeting.
Bruno: Since these negotiations are taking longer than I had planned, I'm liable to 1 be out of town until next Tuesday. Do you think you could reschedule all of my appointments?
Polly: Sure. That should be no problem. However, you have an extremely important meeting with a potential customer on Monday. And they are liable to 2 refuse another appointment.
Bruno: Well, I do have very urgent matters to attend to out of town. Were they likely to 3 place an order?
Polly: I believe that was the topic of the meeting.
Polly: Sure. That should be no problem. However, you have an extremely important meeting with a potential customer on Monday. And they are liable to 2 refuse another appointment.
Bruno: Well, I do have very urgent matters to attend to out of town. Were they likely to 3 place an order?
Polly: I believe that was the topic of the meeting.
1 liable to: This is the best choice here. 'Liable' expresses a possible risk. Bruno is telling Polly that there is a risk he will be staying out of town until next Tuesday.
1 likely: 'Likely' is grammatically incorrect here. We could say, however: 'I'm likely to be out of the office until Tuesday', though 'liable' is the better choice in this context.
1 due: 'Due' is grammatically incorrect here. We cannot use 'due' in such a construction without 'to'. Also, we would not use 'due to' in this context.
1 already: 'Already' is grammatically incorrect in this context. We cannot use 'already' in between 'I'm' and 'be'. We could say, however: 'I'm always out of town on Tuesdays'.
2 liable to: This is the best choice here. 'Liable' expresses a possible risk. Polly is explaining to Bruno the possible 'risk' that their potential customer may not be willing to reschedule the meeting.
2 not: 'Not' is grammatically incorrect here. We could say however: 'They are not going to refuse another appointment' or 'They will not refuse another appointment'.
2 due: 'Due' is grammatically incorrect here. We cannot use 'due' in this context without it being followed by 'to'. However, the phrase: 'They are due to refuse another appointment' is still not the correct use of the phrase.
3 likely to: This is the best choice here. 'Likely to' expresses the possibility of the customer placing an order.
3 most likely to: This choice does not make sense in this context. 'Most likely' (when it means 'very likely' or 'quite likely') is almost never used in questions in English. We could say, however: 'I am most likely going to be out very late tonight'.
3 liable to: This choice does not make sense in this context. 'Liable' expresses a possible risk. And Bruno would not refer to a possible order as a 'risk'.
Esercizio 4
Choose the appropriate meaning for each phrase. Be careful! Each answer is used only once:
'Bruno is likely to make a smart business decision' =
'Bruno is sure to make a smart business decision' =
'Bruno is about to make a smart business decision' =
'Bruno is likely to make a smart business decision' =
'Bruno is sure to make a smart business decision' =
'Bruno is about to make a smart business decision' =
Choose the appropriate meaning for each phrase. Be careful! Each answer is used only once:
'Bruno is likely to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will probably make a smart decision 1
'Bruno is sure to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will almost certainly make a smart decision 2
'Bruno is about to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will make a smart decision very soon 3
'Bruno is likely to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will probably make a smart decision 1
'Bruno is sure to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will almost certainly make a smart decision 2
'Bruno is about to make a smart business decision' = Bruno will make a smart decision very soon 3
1 Bruno will probably make a smart decision: This is correct. 'To be likely (to do something)' expresses strong probability, in this case there is a strong possibility that Bruno will make a smart business decision.
1 Bruno will almost certainly make a smart decision: This is incorrect. The construction 'to be likely to' expresses a strong possibility, but not 'quasi-certainty'. This is a difficult distinction to make, however there is a difference between the two constructions.
1 Bruno will make a smart decision very soon: This is incorrect. The 'be likely to' construction does not express that a smart business decision is 'imminent' or 'coming soon'.
2 Bruno will almost certainly make a smart decision: This is correct. The construction 'to be sure to' expresses a 'quasi-certainty'. It is often difficult to distinguish between 'be sure to' and 'be likely to', but there is a difference between the two constructions.
2 Bruno will probably make a smart decision: This is incorrect. The construction 'to be sure to' indicates that something will almost certainly happen. It is stronger than saying that something will 'probably happen' (which expresses less certainty). This is a difficult distinction to make, however there is a difference between the two constructions.
2 Bruno will make a smart decision very soon: This is incorrect. The 'be sure to' construction does not express that a smart business decision is 'imminent' or 'coming soon'.
3 Bruno will make a smart decision very soon: This is correct. The 'be about to' construction expresses that an action is 'imminent' or coming soon. In this case, Bruno will make a smart business decision soon.
3 Bruno will probably make a smart decision: This is incorrect. The construction 'to be about to' does not express that making a smart decision is a probability.
3 Bruno will almost certainly make a smart decision: This is incorrect. The phrase 'will almost certainly' describes an action that is almost completely sure to happen, but does not indicate that an action will occur soon!
Esercizio 5
Marilyn Quincy a champion sprinter. She 100 meters in under 12 seconds, but now she to have an operation for a new leg. Her son, Icarus Quincy, to be the leg donor.
Marilyn Quincy used to be 1 a champion sprinter. She used to run 2 100 meters in under 12 seconds, but now she needs 3 to have an operation for a new leg. Her son, Icarus Quincy, is likely 4 to be the leg donor.
1 used to be: When followed by an infinitive verb, 'used to' expresses a completed action in the past. This form of 'used to' is always followed by the infinitive form of the verb (without 'to'). Here the sentence indicates that in the past, Marilyn Quincy was a champion sprinter (but not any more).
1 use to be: The expression 'used to' is always expressed in the past tense form, so it requires a 'd' at the end of the word. If not, the verb expresses the sense of 'utilizing'.
1 has been: The present perfect tense ('has been') is used to describe actions that occur in a time period which is unfinished. Example: He has been in the toilet for 30 minutes.
1 was being: The past progressive form ('was being') is used to actions which are incomplete at a given moment, or for descriptions. Example: When I entered the room, the phone was ringing.
2 used to run: This is the correct choice. When followed by an infinitive verb (without 'to'), 'used to' can express an idea of habit or repetition in the past. This sentence indicates that, in the past, Marilyn Quincy ran 100 meters in under 12 seconds, but does not do so any longer.
2 was running: The past progressive form ('was running') is used to actions which are incomplete at a given moment, or for descriptions. Example: When I entered the room, the phone was ringing.
2 has been running: The present perfect progressive ('has been running') usually focuses on the duration of actions that started in the past and continue up until the present. Example: I have been writing this article for 4 hours.
2 was used to run: When followed by a verb, the form 'was used to' is always followed by a verb in the progressive (ING) form. 'To be used to' indicates the idea of being accustomed to something.
3 needs: This is the correct choice. The verb 'to need' expresses a necessity: Marilyn Quincy requires an operation. 'Need' is followed by a verb in the infinitive (with 'to'). Example: I need to leave work early, my child is sick.
3 had better: We cannot use 'had better' in this case. The 'had better' construction is never followed by a verb in the full infinitive form (with 'to').
3 is used: We cannot use the form 'to be used to' in this case. 'To be used to something' expresses the idea of being accustomed to something. When this expression is followed by a verb, the verb is ALWAYS in the progressive (ING) form.
3 should: We cannot use the modal verb 'should' in this case. 'Should' is ALWAYS followed by a verb in the infinitive form (without 'to'). Example: You should see the doctor, there's blood coming out of your ear.
4 is likely: This is the best choice here. The 'be likely to' construction expresses a very strong possibility. In this case, there is a strong possibility that Icarus will be the leg donor.
4 is used: We cannot use the form 'to be used to' in this case. 'To be used to something' expresses the idea of being accustomed to something. When this expression is followed by a verb, the verb is ALWAYS in the progressive (ING) form.
4 must: This is incorrect. The term 'must' cannot be followed by the infinitive 'to'.
4 had better: We cannot use 'had better' in this case. The 'had better' construction is never followed by a verb in the full infinitive form (with 'to').
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