愛華網(wǎng) 今天一位朋友問我presumably和probably有何區(qū)別，我張
口結(jié)舌無言以對。立即查資料，經(jīng)過一番探索，對這個知識點進
行擴散研究，暫定為以下規(guī)則：
英文中表達(dá)“可能性”概念的詞非常多，常用的有：
absolutely, definitely, certainly,surely, of course,
apparently, presumably,probably, likely, perhaps,
possibly,maybe
這些詞之間除了在句子中的位置不同，在口語和筆頭用語
上的語法規(guī)則有差別以外，在意義上有何區(qū)別呢？我想到其表達(dá)
的“可能性”不一樣，到底有何不一樣？經(jīng)查證，有的是可以互
換使用的，表達(dá)同樣程度的可能性，有的則有強弱變化，以下用
數(shù)學(xué)公式“>”號表達(dá)肯定程度由強到弱的變化：
absolutely>definitely>certainly(surely)>of
course>apparently>presumably>probably(likely)>perhaps
(maybe, possibly)>unlikely
由上圖可見，最肯定的是absolutely，最不肯定的是
unlikely。下面具體比較每一個詞，先看其英文釋義：
absolutely:
--totally and completely
--completely and in every way
--used to emphasize that sth. is completely true
--Some people say absolutely as an emphatic way of
saying yes or of agreeing with someone. They say
absolutely not as an emphatic way of saying no or of
disagreeing with someone.
Example Sentences:
1) You're absolutely right.
2) He made it absolutely clear.
3) Jim knew absolutely nothing about the business when he joinedthe firm.
definitely:
--without any doubt
--You use definitely to emphasize that something is the
case, or to emphasize the strength of your intention or
opinion
--a way of emphasizing that sth is true and that there
is no doubt about it
Example Sentences:
1) I definitely remember sending the letter.
2) "Was it what you expected?" "Yes, definitely."
3) "Do you plan to have children?" "Definitely not!"
4) Some old people want help; others most definitely do not.
certainly:
--without any doubt
--used to agree or give your permission
--You use certainly to emphasize what you are saying
when you are making a statement.
--(used in answer to questions) of course
--used to indicate unreserved assent
Example Sentences:
1) "May I see your passport, Mr Scott?" "Certainly."
2) Do you think all this money will change your life?" "Certainlynot."
3) It's certainly a big problem.
4) Without treatment, she will almost certainly die.
5) Certainly, the early years are crucial to a child'sdevelopment.
6) I'm certainly never going there again.
surely:
--used to show that you think something must be true,
especially when people seem to be disagreeing with you.
--You use surely to emphasize that you think something
should be true, and you would be surprised if it was not
true.
--used to show that you are almost certain of what you
are saying and want other people to agree with you.
Example Sentences:
1) You must have heard about the riots, surely?
2) There must surely be some explanation.
3) Surely we can't just stand back and let this happen?
4) Surely we should do something about it?
5) It's surely only a matter of time before he is
found, isn't it?
of course:
--used to show that other people probably already know
what you are saying is true, or expect to hear it
--You say of course to suggest that something is normal,
obvious, or well-known, and should therefore not
surprise the person you are talking to.
--used to emphasize that what you are saying is true or
correct:
Example Sentences:
1) Well, she won, of course.
2) You should of course keep copies of all yourcorrespondence.
3) Of course there will be some difficult times ahead.
4) "Don't you like my mother?" "Of course I do!"
5) "Will you be there?" "Course I will."?。ㄒ部蓪懽鱟oure）
apparently:
--used to say that you have heard that something is true,
although you are not completely sure about it:
--according to the way someone looks or a situation
appears, although you cannot be sure:
Example Sentences:
1) Apparently the company is losing a lot of money.
2) I wasn't there, but apparently it went well.
3) She turned to face him, her anger apparently gone.
presumably:
--used to say that you think something is probably true
--If you say that something is presumably the case, you
mean that you think it is very likely to be the case,
although you are not certain.
--used to say that you think that sth is probably true
Example Sentences:
1) It's raining, which presumably means that your
football match will be cancelled.
2) Presumably this is where the accident happened.
3) You'll be taking the car, presumably?
4) I couldn't concentrate, presumably because I was
so tired.
probably:
--used to say that something is likely to happen, likely
to be true etc:
--If you say that something is probably the case, you
think that it is likely to be the case, although you are
not sure.
--used to say that sth is likely to happen or to be true
Example Sentences:
1) You're probably right.
2) It'll probably be OK.
3) It was the best known and probably the most
popular of her songs.
4) "Is he going to be there?" "Probably."
5) "Do we need the car?" "Probably not."
6) As you probably know, I'm going to be changing jobs soon.
likely:
--probably
--You use likely to indicate that something is probably
the case or will probably happen in a particular
situation. = probable
(In standard BrE the adverb likely must be used with a
word such as most, more or very: We will most likely see
him later. In informal NAmE likely is often used on its
own)
Example Sentences:
1) I'd very likely have done the same thing in yoursituation.
2) We will likely see him later.
3) He said that he would likely run for President.
perhaps:
--used to say that something may be true, but you are
not sure [= maybe]:
--You use perhaps to express uncertainty, for example,
when you do not know that something is definitely true,
or when you are mentioning something that may possibly
happen in the future in the way you describe. = maybe
--possibly SYN maybe:
Example Sentences:
1) Perhaps she's next door.
2) Perhaps it will snow tomorrow.
3) It won't take so long next time, perhaps.
4) "I don't think you understand." "Well, perhaps not."
5) "Are you going to come?" "Perhaps. I'll see how I feel."
6) Perhaps he's forgotten.
possibly:
--used when saying that something may be true or likely,
although you are not completely certain [= perhaps, maybe]
--You use possibly to indicate that you are not sure
whether something is true or might happen.
--used to say that sth might exist, happen or be true,
but you are not certain
SYN perhaps:
Example Sentences:
1) It was possibly their worst performance ever.
2) She found it difficult to get on with her,
possibly because of the difference in their ages.
3) "Will you be around next week?" "Possibly."
上述英文釋義及例句全部摘自三大權(quán)威字典“朗文當(dāng)代”、
“柯林斯”和“牛津”。由英文釋義和例句可以推論這些可能性
之間的對比關(guān)系：
absolutely>definitely>certainly=surely>of
course>apparently>presumably>probably=likely>perhaps
=maybe=possibly>unlikely
中文對應(yīng)大概是：
絕對>一定>肯定、確信>當(dāng)然>顯然>很可能>可能、也許>或
許、大概>不可能
最難區(qū)分的是surely/certainly和of course，很多人認(rèn)為
二者沒有區(qū)別，但是竊以為還是有非常細(xì)微的差別的。憑語感，
當(dāng)我說certainly或者surely時，內(nèi)心是比較確定的，是比較自
信的，堅信你一定會同意，因為我是有客觀依據(jù)的；但是，當(dāng)我
說of course時，心里雖然比較確信，但是主觀意味要強得多，
是我主觀地想讓你相信，這里的“主觀”意味已經(jīng)讓我的“自信”
有所削弱，雖然不甚明顯。
試對比英文釋義：
--You use surely toemphasize that you think something
should be true, and youwould be surprised if it was not
true.
--You say of course tosuggest that something is normal,
obvious, or well-known, andshould therefore not
surprise the person you aretalking to.
由surely和of course的不同英文釋義看來，surely是確
信對方會相信，如果他不相信，我會感到吃驚；of course是確
信我說出來的不會讓別人覺得吃驚，因為是常識，是他應(yīng)該并且
事實上也知道的。這里兩個吃驚的對象不一樣，則表達(dá)的肯定程
度有非常細(xì)微的差別。
unlikely是“不可能”，這很好理解，不過，如果再把可能
性繼續(xù)往下降呢？分別又如何用英文表達(dá)呢？我得出了一個有趣
的公式：
absolutely>definitely>certainly(surely)>of
course>apparently>presumably>probably(likely)>perhaps
(maybe,possibly)>unlikely>perhaps not, maybenot,
possiblynot>presumably not>apparentlynot>of course
not>certainly not,surely not>definatelynot>absolutely
not.
呵呵，看來學(xué)英語也可以結(jié)合數(shù)學(xué)知識，找出單詞之間意思
遞進或者遞減的規(guī)律，這樣就增加了學(xué)習(xí)的趣味性，提高了效率。
