Hedged future & modal speculation — The Art of the Small Bet
Grammar: Modals of speculation and hedged future language
Free ESL grammar exercise on hedged future & modal speculation themed around the art of the small bet. Printable worksheet from classplan.ai.
What's on this worksheet
A Business English ESL grammar exercise on business, practising modals of speculation and hedged future language. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
In 2006, Mary Meeker noted, quietly, that more people would soon access the internet from a mobile device than from a desktop computer. By 2014, she was right. Stewart Butterfield spent years noting that workers were losing hours each week to email threads.
Grammar
- Will — confident
- Use will for predictions presented as near-certain. Mobile will account for most traffic.
- Would — reported
- In reported speech, will becomes would. She said demand would rise within two years.
Sample items
- The analyst noted that mobile traffic ______ desktop traffic within a decade.
- McKinsey's researchers believe the resale market ______ continue to grow rapidly.
- She predicted that shoppers ______ choose fewer but higher-quality items.
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