Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1Given the limited sample size, the results ............... be interpreted with caution.
Wrong!
"Should" gives cautious formal advice about how to interpret the results; "need" cannot be used without "to" in an affirmative sentence.
2I ............... be wrong, but his tone sounded more defensive than confident.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
"May" and "might" both soften the opinion by admitting possible uncertainty.
3From the way she avoided eye contact, she ............... have known more than she admitted, though she may simply have been nervous.
Wrong!
"Might" hedges a possible past explanation without claiming certainty.
4If the figures are accurate, the delay ............... be due to a supplier issue, though poor planning is just as likely.
Wrong!
"Could" presents the supplier issue as a possible explanation, not a definite fact.
5To avoid overclaiming, we ............... say only that the policy was associated with higher satisfaction, but the final wording is up to you.
Wrong!
"Should" recommends a cautious wording choice without sounding too forceful.
6The sudden drop in sales ............... indicate a reporting error, so we should double-check the dashboard.
Wrong!
"May" suggests a possible interpretation of the sales drop rather than a certainty.
7There ............... be a slight mismatch between the two datasets, but it is hard to tell without the raw files.
Wrong!
"Might" fits the cautious structure "There might be" for a possible mismatch.
8The committee ............... simply have overlooked the conflict of interest, so we cannot assume bad faith.
Wrong!
"Could" hedges a possible innocent past explanation without accusing the committee directly.
9If we are being completely honest, the proposal ............... be a little too ambitious for this budget.
Wrong!
"Might" makes the criticism sound tentative and polite.
10To put it diplomatically, we ............... want to revisit the timeline before we commit in writing.
Wrong!
"Might" softens the suggestion to revisit the timeline.
11With more context, we ............... be able to explain the anomaly, but right now it is speculation.
Wrong!
"Might" hedges future ability instead of promising a definite explanation.
12Given the early evidence, the new onboarding flow ............... reduce churn, but it is too soon to call it a trend.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
"May" and "might" both express a tentative prediction based on early evidence.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- Given the limited sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution.
- I may / might be wrong, but his tone sounded more defensive than confident.
- From the way she avoided eye contact, she might have known more than she admitted, though she may simply have been nervous.
- If the figures are accurate, the delay could be due to a supplier issue, though poor planning is just as likely.
- To avoid overclaiming, we should say only that the policy was associated with higher satisfaction, but the final wording is up to you.
- The sudden drop in sales may indicate a reporting error, so we should double-check the dashboard.
- There might be a slight mismatch between the two datasets, but it is hard to tell without the raw files.
- The committee could simply have overlooked the conflict of interest, so we cannot assume bad faith.
- If we are being completely honest, the proposal might be a little too ambitious for this budget.
- To put it diplomatically, we might want to revisit the timeline before we commit in writing.
- With more context, we might be able to explain the anomaly, but right now it is speculation.
- Given the early evidence, the new onboarding flow may / might reduce churn, but it is too soon to call it a trend.