This is an All Ears English Podcast episode 2290, more likely versus most likely in English.
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Who in your family is most likely to miss a flight?
In today's episode, we talk about comparatives and superlatives, plus learn about the American high school tradition of the yearbook.
Hello, Michelle. How's it going today?
Good, Lindsay. How are you?
Excellent. I'm excited to talk about high school yearbooks.
What are we talking about?
Well, Lindsay, were you in your yearbook in high school for anything special?
Like most likely to have a future podcast?
In 1999, I don't know if anyone even knew what a podcast was.
No, but I remember I worked on the yearbook, actually.
I was on yearbook, which was actually kind of just sort of a very easy class.
But no, I don't think I had any superlatives.
What about you, Michelle?
Were you were you a superlative in high school?
I don't think so either.
But did I work? I think in elementary school, we had a little yearbook and I think I helped with that.
Elementary school or middle school.
But no, I was not I was not a superlative.
I don't think. This is a funny thing that we do in American high schools.
I really wonder if the superlatives well, first of all, your books, is that a thing globally?
I'm curious. In high school.
What is a yearbook, Michelle?
Just real quick for our listeners question.
Yeah. So a yearbook is something at the end of the school year that it's basically a collection of pictures from the the whole year.
And they have more structured ones like just your class photo.
They put everybody's class photo in there or they put and maybe student committees like, you know, the theater club, the soccer team.
But there's also a spot for autographs at the end.
I remember it was a huge deal when the yearbook was going to be unveiled.
I think sometimes there was an assembly and everyone was so excited.
What is the cover? Look, what look like, what color is it this year?
It was a big deal in my high school, I don't know.
Small town life. No, no, it was it was always exciting to get the yearbooks.
And then, you know, you would always have time to sign it.
And that was always kind of fun.
And there was always that one clown that would sign, you know, just something ridiculous to take up room.
And you're exactly until that is the yearbook ritual in American high schools.
Let us know, guys, if that happens at your school.
I actually have no idea.
But then the superlatives are a section of the yearbook where people can be voted.
Most likely, there's the typical category, most likely to succeed.
Right. Right. So weird.
Maybe they don't do it anymore.
I don't know. I wonder, actually.
Yeah. And then most likely to many things are funny categories.
They can come up with and that in the class votes.
And then those people get a special part of the yearbook.
Yes. Yeah. Yes, exactly.
So we're talking about this because we have a listener question that really connects to it.
This is from Graciela Ferreira.
Lindsay, could you read the question for us?
Yes. So here is Graciela's question.
Hi, guys. I really love your podcast.
I learn a lot and have fun.
Amazing. I would like to know how you use most likely versus more likely kisses from Rio, Brazil.
Oh, I want to go to Rio, Michelle.
Me, too. Me, too. Yeah, I would love to.
Well, thank you so much for that beautiful review and for the question.
So, guys, we want to remind you to hit follow wherever you're listening to all ears, English, so you never miss anything from us.
Yeah. So listen to us.
All right. Good stuff, Michelle.
Let's get into it. Where do we start today to answer Graciela's question?
OK, so let's talk about most likely first.
So what does that mean?
Well, generally, it means that something is very possible.
There's a very good chance.
Right. Right. So and we're usually highlighting one key thing here.
Right. Right. Exactly.
So for example, she will most likely call you in the afternoon, but it's possible it will be tomorrow morning.
Mm hmm. Yeah. So it's so the most likely that the possibility that will is most sure to occur is that she will call you in the afternoon.
Yeah. Right. Right.
Right. So exactly. So this is really the superlative here.
So this is you could also say if somebody just asks you a question and you want to answer it, you could say most likely.
Like if somebody says, are you going to the party?
You could say most likely.
Most likely. You want to say more likely.
No, no. More likely than what?
Right. Right. Because you can't you can't have a comparative without something you're comparing it to.
Right. Exactly. So most likely can just be by itself.
Really. Exactly. And then we move into more likely.
And again, like we said before, that's a perfect segue, Michelle, because it has to be in comparison to something else.
Yeah. OK. Yeah. Tell us more here, Michelle.
Right. So this could be it's whether it's implicitly explicitly said or not.
So, for example, Sherry is more likely than Bob to know the answer to this question.
Right. So you want to say Sherry is most likely than Bob.
Right. No, you could.
Right. It's more likely than Bob because we're comparing two things.
Mm hmm. Yes. 100 percent.
Right. So this is comparing two things.
If there are five people in the group, you could say Sherry is the most likely to know this question.
But then it's no longer a comparative.
It's a superlative.
Right. Right. Then we go back to the yearbook.
The most likely to succeed.
Right. Yes. Right. Right.
Right. Right. Exactly.
So let's do some more examples just to give a better idea.
Lindsay, what's the first one?
All right. It will most likely be too expensive to hold the event there.
So let's set up some other options just in case.
Good. Mm hmm. Yes. Or I'm more likely to spend my money on clothes for myself.
So, yes, I could say I'm most likely, but perhaps this is in context.
Right. So if I said I'm most likely to spend my money on clothes for myself, then you're just talking a little bit more generally.
If you say I'm more likely, you imagine that I'm talking about something else, like in parentheses.
So maybe I'm more likely to spend money on clothes for myself than clothes for my husband.
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
So we don't have the full context here of the conversation, but likely you're using that comparative.
Right. Yes. Right. So again, it can be used by itself, but you have to imagine there that there is some sort of context, some context to compare it or what's one more.
Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead.
I'm going to say you could have said the person before could have said, oh, I usually spend my money on, you know, going out to eat.
And you might say, I'm more likely to spend money on clothes for myself.
Like you're comparing compared to what the other set.
Yeah. Right. Right.
Right. Exactly. Exactly.
Or what's one more?
OK. Who in your relationship is more likely to leave dirty clothes on the floor?
Right. So what about you?
That's not me. That's my partner.
Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah.
What about you? Oh, both of us.
Oh no. That's not good.
No one person has to be the one to do.
So I have a question.
Do you have a hamper or do things just go directly into the laundry machine?
No, we have a hamper because we have to carry it downstairs to the laundry.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So we we just right now we just use the laundry machine as the hamper, which goes to show you that we don't separate our clothes or not.
I wouldn't say. Yeah, no, I know.
OK, you don't. OK, God, I feel better.
I know. Well, some people really do it.
The whites and the delegates.
I've never my whole life separated.
I guess I am better now than I used to be about trying not to dry everything, you know, like jeans.
I try not to dry them because they get ruined so quick.
But honestly, I've never separated whites and darks.
Yeah. I know. Yep. I'm with you.
I just do not have the mental capacity to know for something like that.
So but again, so asking this question, who in your relationship is more likely?
Right. Because we're saying you were comparing to people who?
So again, that's why that's why that one works.
Or I realize we have one more is we will most likely arrive before dinner.
So maybe we can order some takeout.
Right. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Strong. Right. Projecting future plans.
This is a common way we use this most likely, right?
Most likely this will happen.
We will most likely do this.
Very common to see this in natural English, Michelle.
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Exactly.
And there are some times when it's a little bit tricky to decide between the two, but we want you to have this understanding that that more likely is more the comparative and most likely is the superlative.
Or like Lindsay said, yeah, that's this idea of the future plans.
Oh, most likely we'll do this.
Yes. I love that. OK, Michelle, we are back.
Let's go deeper into this.
What else do we need to know here for our listeners?
So let's talk about other ways it's used.
So exactly we're talking now.
Let's get into the yearbook.
So most likely two.
So again, that could be for awards, yearbooks, whatever you could say.
And that is actually called a superlative.
Right. Right. Maybe usually it's like the senior superlatives.
Right. Because it. Yeah.
So you could say Gary won the superlative for most likely to win the lottery in high school.
Yeah, that's a good one.
Yeah. What else? Michelle, let's see.
So more likely to these could be kind of fun questions that we could ask.
Like what like what?
Well, for example, the one that we were already asking about the laundry on the floor.
But for example, who is more likely to clean your house?
Do you or your partner?
Yeah, these are fun.
Yeah, I think my partner probably I'm more like clean.
Oh, like clean once and once a week and get it done.
My partner is more like, no, let's clean a little bit on Tuesday.
A little on Thursday.
Clean on Sunday. No.
No, no, no. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Cleaning mode.
I just want to do it all and be done.
I don't like piecemilling work.
So I know I always kind of go between those two.
Sometimes I think, OK, no, I'm just going to do a little bit every day and then there's not going to be much.
And then sometimes.
Yeah. Not so much. But right now, I would say, yeah, yeah, not so much.
But yeah, these these are fun conversation questions that you can do.
Oh, who's like who in your family is more likely to, you know, miss a flight?
Yeah, it's just like these are fun.
Yeah. OK, what about you?
Oh, actually, I've never missed a flight.
Probably not me, not me.
What about you, Michelle and your family?
You or your husband or I think I think it would be me because Dan is like one of those people that wants to get to the airport two days before the flight.
I just hate that feeling of, oh, my gosh, you spent this money for a flight and now there's traffic and, yeah, not good.
Not good. This is, you know, I see the connection moment here with these kinds of questions for our listeners, being if you're on a double date, it's really fun.
Because you can kind of relate to each other as a group.
The four of you, right?
Yeah. Which of you is more likely to X, Y, Z and you tease each other.
Is it the guys and the guys, the girls and the girls or whatever?
However it matches up.
It's fun. You know, right.
Right. Exactly, exactly.
Or even with families, maybe with siblings.
So there's a lot of there's just or you know what?
Sometimes maybe if the cast of a TV show is being interviewed, the interviewer might say, oh, so which one of you is.
So there's a lot of fun ways you can use this.
So, guys, I mean, this is we give you a lot of context for today's episode.
We answered a grammar question, but we also went over how it's used in real life.
And these it's funny because seems like kind of a, oh, more likely, most likely.
But there's so many fun ways that you can use this construction.
They're really to connect.
Right, Michelle, to connect to build relationships with the people in front of you.
Let's show our listeners a role play here and then we'll finish up the episode.
Here we go. All right.
So we're friends and we are at the store.
OK, here we go. OK, so should we get the glue or the tape?
I think glue is more likely to make a mess.
Let's go with tape.
Sounds good. Do you think we need to buy an extra set of cups?
Most likely. OK, so we're about to do some kind of art project.
It sounds like, yeah.
All right. So here I said, so you said, should we get glue or tape?
And I was thinking what would make the biggest mess.
I said, I think glue is more likely to make a mess.
Yeah. Or another day we'll do another episode.
I might also say glue is messier.
Right. Right, right.
Exactly. So but yeah, you hear you're comparing.
I think glue is more likely.
So in basically the part that you didn't say was I think glue is more likely than take.
Exactly. Yes. And that is totally OK, because we know here in this context, we are comparing glue and tape.
Right. Yes. And then I asked you, do you think we need to buy an extra set of cups?
And you said most likely.
Yes, we probably do need to buy an extra set of cups.
100 percent. Love it.
Right. Yeah. OK, good.
Michelle, what's the takeaway for today?
What'd you say? Well, these are they're very close.
But there are some really good, specific ways that you can tell the difference.
Of course, think comparative, superlative, what's going on in the conversation.
But also, this is a really fun connection skill to use this construction to ask people questions about themselves, to get them to know them, to be a little bit playful, to talk about the yearbook.
There is even out of something kind of mundane sounding, oh, more likely, most likely.
That's probably how you would see it in a textbook.
Right. But there's there's way more that you can do with this to really connect with others.
Yeah, these are like connection context.
Right. So even with your adult friends now, you could go out and say, OK, in high school, if if you were voted any superlative, what would it have been?
Right. And then you can say a lot about your personality in high school by talking through that at a party with a good party talk.
Right. Party talk is what this is, Michelle.
Yes. Exactly. I'm just imagining also if we had the four of us, you, me and Jessica and Aubrey, and we had that, oh, that would be a fun thing to have listeners send in questions with who is most likely to blah, blah, blah.
It's fun. Yeah, that would be fun.
That we do have another episode recommendation, though, for our listeners before we take off.
That is 2283. Are you fickle English vocabulary for tough decisions?
Guys, go and check that one out next.
Right. So maybe you're deciding who is the messier one, right?
Tough decisions. It could be something like that.
Anyway, go check that out.
And thank you again to our listener for that great question.
This was a lot of fun.
All right, Michelle, I'll talk to you soon.
Have a good day. You too.
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