Exercises B1 : certainty and doubt in English (answers)

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Expressing certainty and doubt in English [B1] — VocaVerb

These exercises are based on the course ‘Expressing certainty and doubt in English’. Practice using modal verbs, adverbs, and opinion phrases to express how sure or unsure you are in natural conversations.

→ See the course : Expressing certainty and doubt in English : complete course

Exercice 1 — Fill in the Gaps: Modal Verbs for Certainty and Doubt

Complete each sentence with the correct modal verb (must, might, can't, could, should) to express the degree of certainty indicated in brackets.

  1. She ___ be at home — I saw her car in the driveway just five minutes ago. [very certain]
  2. I ___ have left my keys at the office, but I'm not completely sure. [possible]
  3. That ___ be Tom calling — he said he would never phone this late at night. [certain it's false]
  4. The meeting ___ start at nine, but you'd better check the schedule to be sure. [fairly certain]
Correction

  1. She must be at home — I saw her car in the driveway just five minutes ago.
  2. I might have left my keys at the office, but I'm not completely sure.
  3. That can't be Tom calling — he said he would never phone this late at night.
  4. The meeting should start at nine, but you'd better check the schedule to be sure.

Exercice 2 — Spot and Correct the Errors

Each sentence contains one error related to expressing certainty or doubt. Identify the mistake and rewrite the full sentence correctly.

  1. I'm absolutely not sure that he passed the exam, but I think he probably did.
  2. She definitely might come to the party — we'll have to wait and see.
  3. There is no doubt that the project could be finished on time, it's certain.
  4. I must be wrong, but I think perhaps we've already met somewhere before.
Correction

  1. I'm not at all sure that he passed the exam, but I think he probably did.
  2. She might come to the party — we'll have to wait and see.
  3. There is no doubt that the project will be finished on time, it's certain.
  4. I could be wrong, but I think perhaps we've already met somewhere before.

Exercice 3 — Choose the Right Expression

Choose the answer (A, B, or C) that best completes the sentence to express certainty or doubt naturally and accurately in English.

  1. — Do you think the train is on time? — ___, but the app says there are delays.
  2. — Will they offer you the job? — ___ they will. I did really well in the interview.
  3. — Is this the right address? — ___ — the street name matches but the number looks wrong.
  4. — Do you know if Marcus speaks French? — He ___ — he lived in Paris for three years.
Correction

  1. I doubt it, to be honest — the app says there are delays.
  2. I'm fairly confident they will. I did really well in the interview.
  3. I'm not entirely sure — the street name matches but the number looks wrong.
  4. He must speak it — he lived in Paris for three years.

To go further on this topic:

Review the lesson · Crossword puzzle

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