I. BEING SURE
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you are ~ about something, you firmly believe it is true and have no doubt about it. If you are not ~ about something, you do not have definite knowledge about it.
She’s absolutely ~ she’s going to make it in the world...
We are not ~ whether the appendix had already burst or not...
It wasn’t a balloon–I’m ~ of that.
= sure
ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ that/wh, ADJ of/about n
2.
If you say that something is ~ to happen, you mean that it will definitely happen.
However, the scheme is ~ to meet opposition from fishermen’s leaders...
Brazil need to beat Uruguay to be ~ of a place in the finals...
The Prime Minister is heading for ~ defeat if he forces a vote...
Victory looked ~.
ADJ: oft ADJ to-inf, it v-link ADJ that/wh, ADJ of n/-ing
3.
If you say that something is ~, you firmly believe that it is true, or have definite knowledge about it.
One thing is ~, both have the utmost respect for each other...
It is ~ that Rodney arrived the previous day..
ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft it v-link ADJ that/wh
4.
If you know something for ~, you have no doubt at all about it.
Hill had to find out for ~.
PHRASE: PHR with cl (not first in cl)
5.
If you make ~ that something is the way you want or expect it to be, you take action to ensure that it is.
Firstly, they must make ~ that their pension needs are adequately catered for...
= make sure
PHRASE: V inflects
II. REFERRING AND INDICATING AMOUNT
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ to indicate that you are referring to one particular thing, person, or group, although you are not saying exactly which it is.
There will be ~ people who’ll say ‘I told you so!’...
Leaflets have been air dropped telling people to leave ~ areas.
ADJ: det ADJ, ADJ n
2.
When you refer to ~ of a group of people or things, you are referring to some particular members of that group. (FORMAL)
They’ll have to give up completely on ~ of their studies.
= some
QUANT: QUANT of def-pl-n
3.
You can use a ~ before the name of a person in order to indicate that you do not know the person or anything else about them.
She managed to arrange for them to be hidden in the house of a ~ Father Boduen.
ADJ: a ADJ n-proper
4.
You use a ~ to indicate that something such as a quality or condition exists, and often to suggest that it is not great in amount or degree.
That was the very reason why he felt a ~ bitterness...
ADJ: a ADJ sing-n/n-uncount