INDEX:
sure
1. when you feel sure about something
2. to make someone sure about something
not sure
3. not sure if something is true or if something will happen
4. not sure if you should do something or if something is good or right
5. to make someone feel unsure about something
RELATED WORDS
make sure : ↑ CHECK
see also
↑ KNOW/NOT KNOW
↑ CERTAINLY/DEFINITELY
◆◆◆
1. when you feel sure about something
▷ sure /ʃʊəʳ/ [adjective not before noun]
if you are sure about something, you believe that it is definitely true or correct :
▪ ‘The car was a BMW’ ‘Are you sure?’
sure (that)
▪ I’m surprised she isn’t here - I was sure she would come.
▪ Are you quite sure that he understood your instructions?
sure about
▪ I think children are influenced by these films, but it’s impossible to be sure about this.
sure of
▪ You need to be sure of your facts before making any accusations.
pretty sure
▪ I’m pretty sure Barbara still works here.
absolutely sure
▪ We do not believe this is the body of the missing girl, but we have to check to be absolutely sure.
▷ certain /ˈsɜːʳtn/ [adjective not before noun]
completely sure that something is true :
certain (that)
▪ Are you certain you didn’t leave your keys at home?
certain about
▪ He was certain about one thing - she would come back one day.
certain of
▪ She won’t let you borrow the car - I’m certain of that.
absolutely certain
▪ Don’t stop looking until you’re absolutely certain you’ve found the place you want.
▷ positive /ˈpɒzɪtɪv, ˈpɒzətɪvǁˈpɑː-/ [adjective not before noun] especially spoken
completely sure that something is true - use this especially when other people are saying it might not be true :
▪ ‘Are you sure you locked the door?’ ‘Yes, I’m positive.’
positive (that)
▪ She said she was positive the exam was next Tuesday.
absolutely positive
▪ I’m absolutely positive I haven’t made a mistake.
▷ convinced /kənˈvɪnst/ [adjective not before noun]
sure that something is true, even when you cannot prove it :
convinced (that)
▪ We’ve had no news of him, but we’re convinced he’s still alive.
▪ She became convinced that her boyfriend was seeing someone else.
convinced of
▪ Brown’s wife was convinced of his innocence.
▷ have no doubt /hæv ˌnəʊ ˈdaʊt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be so certain about something that there are no doubts in your mind :
have no doubt (that)
▪ I’ve no doubt that his story is true.
have no doubt about/of
▪ My boss told me he had no doubt about my abilities as a salesman.
▷ know /nəʊ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in progressive]
to have a strong feeling that something is right or true, although there may be nothing to prove :
know (that)
▪ Sally knew that she and Carl would be the best of friends.
▪ I just know your mother will love this necklace.
▪ As soon as the phone rang, we knew something terrible must have happened.
know it
▪ She’s going to pass -- I just know it!
▷ satisfied /ˈsætɪsfaɪd, ˈsætəsfaɪd/ [adjective not before noun]
sure that you know the truth about something that has happened, because you have enough information :
satisfied (that)
▪ Police are now satisfied that her death was an accident.
▷ confident /ˈkɒnfɪd ə nt, ˈkɒnfəd ə ntǁˈkɑːn-/ [adjective not before noun]
sure that something good will happen, or that you will be able to achieve what you want :
▪ ‘Do you think you’ll win tomorrow’s game?’ - ‘Well, we’re all feeling pretty confident’.
confident (that)
▪ Doctors are confident that he’ll make a full recovery.
confident of
▪ A spokesman said the government was confident of winning the vote and would not discuss the possibility of defeat.
▷ I bet /aɪ ˈbet/ spoken informal
say this when you feel sure that something is true :
I bet (that)
▪ I bet you’re tired after such a long journey.
▪ I bet she hasn’t told her parents about this.
▷ must /məst, strong mʌst/ [modal verb] especially spoken
if you say that something must be true or must have happened, you are sure about it, because of information you have or things you have noticed that make it seem very likely :
▪ You must remember Sally Newton. She was in our French class.
must have
▪ Kim didn’t answer when I called - she must have gone to bed.
▪ She didn’t get into movies just because her mother was a famous actress, but it must have helped.
▷ can’t /kɑːntǁkænt/ [modal verb] especially spoken
if you say that something can’t be true or can’t have happened, you are sure that it is not true or has not happened :
▪ He says he’s 21 but he can’t be older than 18.
can’t have
▪ She can’t have gone to bed yet - it’s only 8 o'clock.
▪ If you failed that exam you can’t have worked very hard.
▷ I’d put money on it /aɪd pʊt ˈmʌni ɒn ɪt/
you say I’d put money on it when you are so sure of something that you would be willing to take the chance of losing money if you were wrong :
▪ ‘Do you really think the president will win again?’ ‘I’d put money on it.’
2. to make someone sure about something
▷ convince /kənˈvɪns/ [transitive verb]
to make someone sure about something, especially when this is difficult to do :
▪ Our new policy on tax reform will certainly help the economy. The only problem will be convincing the voters.
convince somebody (that)
▪ The discovery of a body finally convinced Mrs Hayes that her son was dead.
▪ I had tried to convince my company’s president that these ideas were viable.
convince somebody of something
▪ How many more deaths will it take to convince the authorities of the need to test drugs more thoroughly?
3. not sure if something is true or if something will happen
▷ not sure /nɒt ˈʃʊəʳ/ [adjective phrase not before noun]
▪ ‘What time does the film start?’ ‘I think it’s 8.30, but I’m not sure.’
not sure how/whether/when etc
▪ I’m not sure where she lives.
▪ I’m not sure how long it will take the bus to get there.
not sure about
▪ If you’re not sure about the meaning of a word, look it up in a dictionary.
not sure of
▪ Use the ‘Filesearch’ function if you are not sure of the name of a file.
can’t be sure
spoken when you think something is true, but you are not completely sure
▪ I can’t be sure, but I think I saw Maggie coming out of the hospital this morning.
▷ not certain /nɒt ˈsɜːʳtn/ [adjective phrase not before noun]
not sure about something. Not certain is more formal than not sure :
▪ The man you’re looking for could be Keith, but I’m not certain.
not certain about
▪ I’m not certain about what time the buses come - I usually cycle.
not certain how/why/where etc
▪ I’m really not certain how much fuel we’ve got left.
▷ not know /nɒt ˈnəʊ/ [verb phrase]
to not be at all sure if something is true or if something will happen :
▪ ‘How old is she?’ ‘Oh, I don’t know - fifty, fifty-five?’
not know if/whether/how etc
▪ I phoned her but I don’t know if she got my message.
▪ We do not know whether the lake is safe for swimming in.
not know for sure
especially spoken
▪ It could be this week but it might be much later. We don’t know for sure.
▷ unsure/uncertain /ʌnˈʃʊəʳ, ʌnˈsɜːʳtn/ [adjective not before noun]
Unsure and uncertain are more formal than not sure and not certain. :
unsure/uncertain about
▪ I’m still a bit unsure about how to use this software.
unsure/uncertain of
▪ Many workers are still unsure of their rights.
unsure/uncertain who/what/whether etc
▪ David decided to become a teacher but was uncertain which subject to specialize in.
▷ doubt /daʊt/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a feeling of not being sure whether something is true or correct :
doubt about
▪ There are still some doubts about her suitability for the job.
doubt as to
▪ There seems to be some doubt as to what warnings were given.
▷ wonder /ˈwʌndəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in progressive]
to think about something that you are not sure about, and try to guess what is true, what will happen, etc :
▪ He says he’s had no formal training but when you see how good his work is, you start to wonder.
wonder if/how/whether etc
▪ I wonder if she’ll recognize me after all these years.
▪ He wondered whether he would be able to find the hotel again.
4. not sure if you should do something or if something is good or right
▷ have doubts /hæv ˈdaʊts/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to not be sure whether you should do something or whether it is good or right :
▪ Peter promised that it was all for the best, but I still had doubts.
have doubts about
▪ Any doubts Jo had about marrying him soon disappeared.
have your doubts
▪ We had our doubts about the car’s reliability from the start.
▷ have reservations /hæv ˌrezəʳˈveɪʃ ə nz/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to feel that some things about a plan, idea etc are not good or right, so that you think there may be problems or difficulties :
▪ I know you’re very keen to move to the US, but I’m afraid I still have reservations.
have reservations about
▪ Many teachers are likely to have reservations about the new tests.
▷ have misgivings /hæv mɪsˈgɪvɪŋz/ [verb phrase]
to not be sure whether something is good or right, because you are worried about what will happen if it is done :
▪ We didn’t try to stop our son from joining the army, but we both had misgivings.
have misgivings about
▪ Even the government’s most loyal supporters have misgivings about changes to the education system.
have serious misgivings
be very unsure
▪ At the time, many doctors had serious misgivings about the new treatment.
▷ have mixed feelings /hæv ˌmɪkst ˈfiːlɪŋz/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be unable to say that something is definitely good or right, because there are both good and bad things about it :
▪ I have very mixed feelings -- I want to travel but I know I’ll miss my family.
have mixed feelings about
▪ She had mixed feelings about her daughter getting married so young.
▷ be dubious /biː ˈdjuːbiəsǁ-ˈduː-/ [verb phrase]
to be not sure whether you should do something, because you can think of ways in which it could go wrong :
▪ I was a bit dubious at first, but the water looked cool and inviting, so I dived in.
be dubious about
▪ Most universities are dubious about accepting students over the age of 30.
▷ hesitant /ˈhezɪtənt, ˈhezətənt/ [adjective not usually before noun]
someone who is hesitant is nervous or unsure about doing something, and therefore pauses before doing it or does it slowly and without confidence :
▪ He was a little hesitant at first, but soon he had told her everything.
hesitant about
▪ I was hesitant about approaching the boss directly.
hesitant to do something
▪ It is not surprising that the government was hesitant to introduce such major reforms.
hesitantly [adverb]
▪ The boy spoke slowly and hesitantly, unsure whether or not to trust us.
▷ waver /ˈweɪvəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to not make a definite decision because you have doubts :
waver between
▪ Maya wavered between accepting and refusing his offer.
waver about
▪ If people have been wavering about giving the police information, this could be the thing to make them come forward.
5. to make someone feel unsure about something
▷ make somebody unsure/uncertain /meɪk somebody ʌnˈʃʊəʳ, ʌnˈsɜːʳtn/ [verb phrase]
make sb unsure/uncertain about
▪ The news about the bomb made me uncertain about travelling to the area.
make sb unsure/uncertain of
▪ Her previous experiences made her very unsure of the wisdom of marrying again.
▷ raise doubts /ˌreɪz ˈdaʊts/ [verb phrase]
to make people become unsure about something they were previously fairly sure about :
▪ I don’t want to raise too many doubts, but I wonder whether he’s really fit for the job.
raise doubts about/over
▪ Her report has raised doubts about the likely success of this project.
raise doubts in somebody’s mind
▪ The new evidence raised doubts in the minds of jury members.
▷ it makes you wonder /ɪt ˌmeɪks juː ˈwʌndəʳ/ especially spoken
use this to say that something makes you unsure about a previous belief :
▪ They obviously know each other. It makes you wonder.
it makes you wonder if/whether etc
▪ So many people believe in astrology, it makes you wonder if it’s all true.
▪ His behaviour after hearing my news made me wonder if he knew more than he had told me.