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How To

Generalizing

There are many phrases in English that we can use when we want to say that something is true most of the time but not all the time.

Ten ways to say what usually happens

casual · neutral · formal

  1. Ninety percent of the time...neutralNinety percent of the time, the train to Kandy is late.
  2. Nine times out of ten...neutralNine times out of ten, it rains in the afternoon.
  3. More often than not...neutralMore often than not, he forgets his umbrella.
  4. Usually...neutralUsually, I have rice and curry for lunch.
  5. As a rule (of thumb)...neutralAs a rule of thumb, leave an hour early for Colombo.
  6. What normally happens is...neutralWhat normally happens is that the shop closes for lunch.
  7. In general...neutralIn general, people here are very friendly.
  8. Generally speaking...neutralGenerally speaking, January is a good month to visit.
  9. On the whole...neutralOn the whole, the trip was a success.
  10. By and large...neutralBy and large, the students did well this year.

How to use them

  • refer to numbers. These numbers are not literal.
  • refer to the high frequency of the statement being true.
  • In , a 'Rule of thumb' is a system of judgement that we use when it isn't possible to be precise
  • is followed by a sentence describing the normal event, occurrence or situation.
  • are formal and can be used in official or scientific writing.
  • are less formal but are used in some business correspondence.

Quick check

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  1. "As a rule of thumb" means:

  2. Which phrase gives a number to show how often?

  3. "By and large" means:

See also: Giving your opinion

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Saying something is true

Here are ten phrases that you can use when you are absolutely sure that what you are saying is true.

Having a guess

Sometimes you don't know exactly what something is, but you have some idea.

On this page

Quick check