ENGLISH
REFERENCE

likely to do sth

fixed phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this to say that something will probably happen or that someone will probably do something.

fixed phr.. a semi-fixed construction used to express probability or a high statistical chance of an event occurring; functions as a predicative adjective phrase followed by a to-infinitive.


SIMPLE

It is likely to rain later this afternoon.

CONTEXTUAL

If you don't study for the exam, you are likely to fail.

COMPLEX

The researchers concluded that children who grow up in bilingual households are likely to develop stronger cognitive flexibility than their monolingual peers.

Usage

always follows a form of the verb 'to be' and is followed by the base form of a verb.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'probably' to show word order differences: 'It will probably rain' vs 'It is likely to rain'; 'likely' is an adjective here, not an adverb.

Pitfall

It likely to happen.It is likely to happen.the phrase requires the verb 'to be' before 'likely' to function correctly as a predicate.

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