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What does Newspaper Rock say? Likely to, may well and how sure we are

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches likely to and may well, with will definitely and will probably, through Newspaper Rock in Utah, whose petroglyphs no one can explain.

Grammar
How sure we are about the future, from will definitely through will probably, be likely to, may well and might to definitely won't, all + the base form.
Topic
Newspaper Rock in southeastern Utah, a sandstone panel of petroglyphs carved over many centuries, with words such as petroglyph, overhang, desert varnish and bighorn sheep.
Activities
Riley's feature, a mini mystery episode and a listener's message, self-checking drills, a mystery script to complete, a chat to write one and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: Can you read a rock?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: rock art and mysteriesVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2A rock full of questions

    • Look at the photo: Newspaper RockPictureUnlock
    • Read the feature: what does Newspaper Rock say?ArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Mystery on the mic

    • Listen to Riley and DariusListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's TakeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: It'll probably stay a mystery

    • Study the scheme: how sure are you?Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: use the words in bracketsFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: be likely to and be unlikely toFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: how sure?QuizUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Your turn: tell a mystery

    • Drag the words into the gaps: the parts of Riley's mystery scriptDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right replies: write a mystery scriptChatTry it
    • Open a box and tell a mysteryOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the words into the correct columnsSort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make predictions with the words in bracketsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: our answer to NatalieChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Noelle's mystery scriptDrag and dropUnlock

33 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • panel
  • sandstone
  • overhang
  • desert varnish
  • creek
  • rider
  • bighorn sheep
  • footprint
  • script

Grammar: certainty about the future

English has a scale of words for how sure you are about the future, from will definitely down to definitely won't. With a rock whose meaning no one knows, learners pick the words that match how sure they are, use be likely to and may well with the base form, and put probably and definitely in the right place.

Will anyone ever read it?

How sure are you about the future? Choose the words for 100%, 0% or something in between.

From 100% to 0%

Will definitely is 100%, will probably and be likely to about 80%, may well about 60% and might about 50%. Probably won't and be unlikely to are about 20%, and definitely won't is 0%: Footnote definitely won't wash the mugs.

How sure?Say (+ base form)Example
100% ✅will definitelyYou will definitely see animals on the panel.
about 80%will probably / be likely toIt will probably stay a mystery. = It's likely to stay a mystery.
about 60%may wellExperts may well never agree.
about 50%mightWe might learn more one day.
about 20%probably won't / be unlikely toYou probably won't spot every image. = You're unlikely to spot every image.
0% ❌definitely won'tFootnote definitely won't wash the mugs.

Be likely to and be unlikely to

Be likely to means the same as will probably, and be changes with the person: I'm likely to win the bet. They're unlikely to decode it. Don't drop be, and don't add will: The rock is likely to keep its secrets, not is likely to will keep.

be likely to: every person

Whobe likely tobe unlikely to
II'm likely to win the bet.I'm unlikely to win the bet.
youYou're likely to see deer.You're unlikely to see every image.
heHe's likely to play a drumroll.He's unlikely to stay quiet.
sheShe's likely to check the facts.She's unlikely to believe it.
itIt's likely to keep its secrets.It's unlikely to change.
weWe're likely to get many theories.We're unlikely to figure it out.
theyThey're likely to agree.They're unlikely to decode it.

Common mistakes

  • It won't definitely rain.

    It definitely won't rain.

    definitely / probably before won't

  • The rock is likely to will keep its secrets.

    The rock is likely to keep its secrets.

    be likely to + base form, no will

  • Experts may well to disagree.

    Experts may well disagree.

    may well + base form, no to

  • Visitors likely to see deer.

    Visitors are likely to see deer.

    don't forget be: am / is / are

May well, questions and It's likely that

May well takes the base form with no to: Experts may well never agree. Questions use Will… ever or Is it likely to…?, and Probably not and Definitely not make short answers. It's likely that it will rain is another correct pattern.

may well, be likely to, questions

may well + base form: Experts may well never agree. (Not: may well to.) be likely to + base form: It's likely to rain. (Not: is likely to will.) You can also say: It's likely that it will rain. Questions: Will anyone ever read it? Is it likely to rain? Short answers: Probably not. Definitely not.

Definitely and probably: before or after won't?

In the positive, the adverb comes after will: It will probably stay a mystery. In the negative, it comes before won't: You probably won't spot every image, not won't probably. With will not in full, probably will not and will probably not are both correct.

Yes: will + definitely / probably

will ('ll)definitely / probablybase form

It will probably stay a mystery.

You'll definitely find feet with six toes.

No: definitely / probably + won't

definitely / probablywon'tbase form

You probably won't spot every image.

Footnote definitely won't help.

Word order in the negative

Say definitely won't and probably won't. Not: won't definitely, won't probably. With will not in full, probably will not and will probably not are correct too.

Newspaper Rock and the future

  • Will anyone ever decode the panel? – Probably not.
  • Darius thinks someone will definitely decode it.
  • The rock is likely to keep its secrets.
  • Listeners may well have great theories.
  • We probably won't figure out why the feet have six toes.
  • People will definitely keep asking questions.

More lessons on this grammar: Future tenses lessons and exercises

Try the likely to and may well exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 19 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say how sure you are, from 100% to 0%: You'll definitely find feet with six toes. We might learn more one day. Footnote definitely won't wash the mugs.
  • use be likely to and be unlikely to for every person: The rock is likely to keep its secrets. We're unlikely to figure it out.
  • put definitely and probably in the right place: It will probably stay a mystery, but You probably won't spot every image, not won't probably
  • use may well + the base form, without to: Experts may well never agree, not may well to agree
  • build a mystery script with a hook, facts, theories, a prediction and a question: Maybe it was a resting place for travelers.

Lesson 31 is the third lesson of Mysteries and lost worlds, unit 8 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. It builds on A2.2 lesson 13, where will made predictions, on A2.1 lesson 31, which taught might, and on lesson 10, which compared future forms. Lesson 32 closes the course with unless, as long as and in case. A rock that may well never be decoded makes everyone say how sure they are.

Students spin a wheel of questions about mysteries, puzzles and old pictures on rocks, then learn twelve words, from figure out and agree to desert varnish and script, with pictures and audio. They read Riley's feature on Newspaper Rock, then hear Riley and Darius record a mini mystery episode and bet on whether anyone will ever decode it, and Natalie, a 25-year-old from Utah, give her own prediction, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, among them a table of be likely to for every person. In the speaking chapter, students complete Riley's five-part mystery script, write a script with Riley in a chat and open boxes to tell a mystery.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a gap-fill and a column sort for the words, then a choice of forms in new sentences, predictions to build from the words in brackets, word order, a quiz on the right sentence, the hosts' answer to Natalie and Noelle's mystery script with words to drag in.

Grammar:
will definitely / definitely won't · will probably / probably won't · be likely to / be unlikely to · may well · might
Topic:
Newspaper Rock · Utah · petroglyphs · rock art · Ancestral Puebloan people · Ute people · mysteries · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Draw a line from 0% to 100% on the board and place definitely won't, probably won't, might, may well, will probably and will definitely on it. Students then add their own predictions for the weekend.
  • Show the cover before the feature and ask what the carvings might mean. Collect guesses with maybe, then read: no one knows, and the Bureau of Land Management asks questions instead of giving answers.
  • Play the mini mystery episode twice: first for the bet, then for each prediction. Students hold up fingers for how sure the speaker is, from one for definitely won't to five for will definitely.
  • Let pairs tell a local mystery after the chat, in the script's five parts: hook, facts, theories, a prediction and a question for listeners. The class answers the question with may well or be likely to.

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Travel smart

    the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to

    1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
    2. Lesson 2Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
    4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to

  2. Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

    will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to

    1. Lesson 5Would you jump off a moving boat for a job?Will have to, will be able to and will be allowed to
    2. Lesson 6Working from anywherePresent perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 7Could you be a camp counselor?Present perfect simple vs continuous
    4. Lesson 8Would you live in a lighthouse?Would vs used to for the past

  3. Unit 3 Space and discovery

    it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to

    1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
    2. Lesson 10Who will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
    3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
    4. Lesson 12A helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive

  4. Unit 4 Life online

    the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow

    1. Lesson 13The internet's first word was “LO”Comparative and comparative; the more…, the more…
    2. Lesson 14Who sent the first spam?Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans
    3. Lesson 15Is your password really safe?Ought to and had better for advice and warnings
    4. Lesson 16Who writes Wikipedia?Let, make and allow + someone

  5. Unit 5 Screen and page

    -ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general

    1. Lesson 17Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
    2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
    3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
    4. Lesson 20Where are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things

  6. Unit 6 Green living

    few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less

    1. Lesson 21A year's trash in one jar?Few, a few, little and a little
    2. Lesson 22No food in the trash!All, most, some and none (of)
    3. Lesson 23A farm in the middle of DetroitEach and every
    4. Lesson 24A trash collector with googly eyesFewer and less

  7. Unit 7 Sporting moments

    could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags

    1. Lesson 25From a leg brace to three goldsCould, was able to and managed to
    2. Lesson 26A doctor and an Olympic champion?For, during and while
    3. Lesson 27Who's that runner coming from behind?Present simple and continuous for live commentary
    4. Lesson 28Why do high jumpers go backward?Question tags

  8. Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

    both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

    1. Lesson 29A calendar made of posts?Both… and, either… or, neither… nor
    2. Lesson 30What was the Great House for?Uncountable abstract nouns
    3. Lesson 31 · you're hereWhat does Newspaper Rock say?Certainty about the future
    4. Lesson 32What are the Marfa Lights?Unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What does "likely to" mean?
Be likely to + verb means something will probably happen, about 80% sure: The rock is likely to keep its secrets means the same as It will probably keep its secrets. The opposite is be unlikely to: We're unlikely to figure it out. Be changes with the person (I'm, it's, they're), and the base form follows. The B1 lesson What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai teaches it with a rock nobody can explain.
What does "may well" mean?
May well + verb means something is quite possible, a little more than might: Experts may well never agree on the age of every image. The lesson's scale puts it at about 60%, between might (about 50%) and will probably (about 80%). It takes the base form with no to, so may well to agree is wrong. What does Newspaper Rock say?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, places it on a scale from 100% to 0%.
Is "likely to" the same as "will probably"?
Yes: both say you are about 80% sure. It will probably stay a mystery means It's likely to stay a mystery. The negatives match too: You probably won't spot every image means You're unlikely to spot every image. Only the form differs: will probably is the same for every person, while be likely to needs am, is or are. A quiz in What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai matches these pairs.
Is it "won't definitely" or "definitely won't"?
It's definitely won't: the adverb goes before won't. Say It definitely won't rain, not It won't definitely rain, and You probably won't spot every image, not won't probably. In the positive, the adverb follows will: It will probably stay a mystery. With will not in full, both probably will not and will probably not are correct. The chat in What does Newspaper Rock say?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, offers won't probably as a wrong reply.
What are common mistakes with likely to and may well?
Three slips come up most: an extra will, an extra to or a missing be. Say The rock is likely to keep its secrets, not is likely to will keep; Experts may well disagree, not may well to disagree; and Visitors are likely to see deer, not Visitors likely to see deer. It's likely that experts will never agree is correct, though. The scheme in What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai lists these mistakes.
What is Newspaper Rock?
Newspaper Rock is a big sandstone panel covered with petroglyphs, under a small overhang along Indian Creek in southeastern Utah. People carved or pecked the images through dark desert varnish over many centuries: the Bureau of Land Management says some are about 1,500 years old and others are from around 1900. It credits the older images to Basketmaker and Ancestral Puebloan people and the newer, lighter ones to the Ute people, who still live in the Four Corners area.
What do the petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock mean?
No one knows what the images mean. The Bureau of Land Management asks questions instead of giving answers: was it a resting place where people left messages for the next travelers, or did artists carve a clan sign or a name? It says it has no definitive answers. The sources don't explain the English name either, or why many carved feet have six toes. What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai keeps every theory a question.
How do I teach likely to and may well to B1 students?
Start with a question nobody can answer for sure, such as Will anyone ever decode the panel?, and let students place their answers on a scale from 100% to 0%. Then show the forms and the word order of probably won't. What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai moves from Riley's feature and a mini mystery episode to the scheme, five drills and a mystery script.
What's a good game for practicing likely to and may well?
Open-the-box prediction prompts make a good speaking game: one box asks for three predictions about life in a hundred years, another whether anyone will ever decode the panel, and the student answers aloud with will probably, is likely to or may well. For a weather round, each student gives tomorrow's forecast with a different word from the scale, and the class says how sure it sounds.
What's good homework for likely to and may well?
Good homework builds predictions from words in brackets, such as (be likely to / love) for My parents are likely to love this new restaurant, then checks the word order of definitely won't in a quiz. All ten homework tasks in What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai check themselves, ending with the hosts' answer to a listener and a mystery script to complete.
How do you practice likely to and may well one-to-one?
Trade predictions about real plans: the teacher asks Will it rain this weekend? or Are you likely to travel this summer?, and the student answers with a word from the scale, such as Probably not or I may well go. The chat in What does Newspaper Rock say? on edio.ai works without a partner: the student writes a mystery script with Riley by picking replies, and the wrong ones include may well to help.
Are there interactive exercises for likely to and may well?
Yes: a gap-fill and a script chat that check each answer. Without an account, this page plays three parts of What does Newspaper Rock say?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai: Riley and Darius's mini mystery episode, gaps where students build predictions from the words in brackets, and the chat that writes a mystery script with Riley. The rest of the lesson is locked.
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