Speculating and hypothesising
Speculate and hypothesise fluently: modal perfects, likelihood expressions, hypothetical structures and imaginative ‘what if’ discussion.
In this lesson you will
- Express degrees of likelihood precisely
- Speculate about past, present and future
- Discuss hypothetical scenarios
Learn
Likelihood scale: bound to / certain to → very likely to / there’s every chance → may well / could well → might / there’s a slim chance → highly unlikely → can’t possibly.
Past speculation: must have, might have, can’t have, could have been doing: He must have been working late. They can’t have received it. Present/future: She may well be right. Prices could well rise.
Hypothesising: Suppose/Supposing… ; What if…? ; Imagine… ; Assuming (that)… ; Were we to… ; Had they known…
Discussing uncertain futures: In all likelihood, … ; The chances are that… ; It’s conceivable that… ; I wouldn’t be surprised if…
Examples
- In all likelihood, remote work is here to stay.
- She can’t have forgotten — I reminded her twice.
- Suppose we lost all electricity for a month — how would society cope?
- I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced it next week.
Vocabulary
speculate
guess possibilities without full information
in all likelihood
very probably
conceivable
possible to imagine
slim chance
a small possibility
assuming
if we accept that
Practice
Very probable:
Speaking
Speculate for two minutes: What might life be like in 2070? What if humans lived to 150? Use at least eight speculation structures.
Writing
Write a speculative article (180–220 words) titled “What if cities banned private cars?”
Lesson quiz
“The chances are that…” means…
Review
Key points
- Likelihood scale.
- Modal perfects for past speculation.
- Suppose, What if, Assuming, Were we to.
- In all likelihood, It’s conceivable.
What you learned
- ✓ I speculate precisely.
- ✓ I discuss hypotheticals fluently.
- ✓ I express degrees of likelihood.
Grammar reference: Modals of deduction: must, might, can’t, Conditionals: zero, first, second and third