If you think something is possible in the future, you are making a prediction.
I think England will win the next World Cup.
These are the most common expressions for making predictions. The percentages (%) are very approximate - just to show you the order of the expressions.
It'll definitely rain.
100% chance of rain
It'll almost certainly rain. It's bound to rain.
90%-99%
It'll probably rain. It's likely to rain.
80%-95%
It'll possibly rain. It might rain.
50%-80%
It might not rain.
20%-50%
It probably won't rain. It isn't likely to rain.
5%-20%
It almost certainly won't rain.
1%-5%
It definitely won't rain.
0% chance of rain
Notice the position of words like "definitely" - before "won't", but after "will".
We sometimes use '(to be) going to' instead of 'will' for predictions. ‘(To be) going to' can mean that we have a reason or some present evidence for making the prediction:
I think it'll snow next Christmas.
(but that's in 12 months - I can't know this)
I think it 's going to snow again tomorrow.
(there are a lot of clouds and the weather is very, very cold)
What are your predictions for this year? What are your predictions for the next thirty years? Write a short composition and be sure to include the new vocabulary from the table above…
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