certainly

«certainly» in Mova's school dictionary: without any doubt; surely — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adverb (certainly)

meaning for a pupil

1) Certainly means without any doubt; surely. tree →

2) Certainly is a polite way of saying «yes» or «of course» when someone asks for something. tree →

3) Certainly can mean «it is true that…», before a «but». tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday talk «certainly» is a polite «yes»: «Can I borrow a pencil?» — «Certainly.» In stories and writing it shows the speaker is sure. In school reasoning it marks something that must be true, unlike «probably» or «maybe». Phrases: «certainly not» (a firm no), «almost certainly», «most certainly».

examples

• «May I open the window?» «Certainly.» tree →
• It will certainly rain later — look at those clouds. tree →
• You certainly worked hard on this project. tree →
• «Can I stay up all night?» «Certainly not!» tree →
• She is almost certainly at the library. tree →
• It was certainly a long walk, but it was fun. tree →
• The team will most certainly win if they play like that. tree →
• A triangle certainly has three sides. tree →
• "Certainly; and I can do it." tree →

note

Spelling: certain + ly. «Certainly not» is a strong refusal. In probability, «certain» means it will definitely happen (probability 1); «almost certainly» is very likely but not sure. Do not confuse with «certainty» (a noun: the feeling of being sure).

In the corpora

• A little bottle labelled "DRINK ME" appears on the table, "which certainly was not here before", Alice says.
• It is a guilt-offering — he is certainly guilty before the LORD.
• Lo, certainly in vain hath wrought the vain pen of the scribes.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «certainly» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.