liable, likely, apt, prone
- liable, likely, apt, prone
All four indicate probability, but they carry distinctions worth noting. Apt is better reserved for general probabilities ("It is apt to snow in January") and likely for specific ones ("It is likely to snow today"). Liable and prone are better used to indicate a probability arising as a regrettable consequence: "People who drink too much are prone to heart disease"; "If you don't pay your taxes, you are liable to get caught." A few older usage guides suggest that prone should apply only to people, but that seems to be an archaic view; the 1982 Concise Oxford Dictionary, for instance, cites "strike-prone industries" as an acceptable usage.
A separate problem with likely is seen in this sentence: "Cable experts say the agreement will likely strengthen the company's position" [Washington Post). When used as an adverb, likely needs to be accompanied by one of four helping words: very, quite, more, or most. Thus the sentence should say "will very likely strengthen." A greater improvement still would be to recast and tighten the phrase entirely: "Cable experts say the agreement is likely to strengthen the company's position."
Dictionary of troublesome word.
Bill Bryson.
2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
liable, likely, apt, prone — All four indicate probability, but they carry distinctions worth noting. Apt is better reserved for general probabilities ( It is apt to snow in January ) and likely for specific ones ( It is likely to snow today ). Liable and prone are better … Dictionary of troublesome word
liable, likely, apt, prone — All four indicate probability, but they carry distinctions worth noting. Apt is better reserved for general probabilities ( It is apt to snow in January ) and likely for specific ones ( It is likely to snow today ). Liable and prone are better … Dictionary of troublesome word
prone — , prostrate, recumbent, supine. Supine means lying faceup (it may help to remember that a supine person is on his spine). Prone and prostrate are regarded by most dictionaries and usage authorities but by no means all as meaning lying facedown … Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors
prone, prostrate, recumbent, supine — Supine means lying face upward (it may help to remember that a supine person is on her spine). Prone and prostrate are regarded by most dictionaries and usage authorities, but by no means all, as meaning lying face downward. (A few say that… … Dictionary of troublesome word
prone, prostrate, recumbent, supine — Supine means lying face upward (it may help to remember that a supine person is on her spine). Prone and prostrate are regarded by most dictionaries and usage authorities, but by no means all, as meaning lying face downward. (A few say that… … Dictionary of troublesome word
prone, prostrate, recumbent, supine — Supine means lying face upward (it may help to remember that a supine person is on her spine). Prone and prostrate are regarded by most dictionaries and usage authorities, but by no means all, as meaning lying face downward. (A few say that… … Dictionary of troublesome word
prone, prostrate, recumbent, supine — Supine means lying face upward (it may help to remember that a supine person is on her spine). Prone and prostrate are regarded by most dictionaries and usage authorities, but by no means all, as meaning lying face downward. (A few say that… … Dictionary of troublesome word
liable — , likely, apt, prone. All four indicate probability, but they carry distinctions worth noting. Apt is better reserved for general probabilities ( It is apt to snow in January ) and likely for specific ones ( It is likely to snow today ). Liable … Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors
prone — [adj1] lying down decumbent, face down, flat, horizontal, level, procumbent, prostrate, reclining, recumbent, resupine, supine; concept 583 Ant. sitting, straight, upright prone [adj2] liable, likely apt, bent, devoted, disposed, exposed, fain,… … New thesaurus
prone — apt, liable, prone 1. Used with to, prone is by far the most common statistically, liable comes second, and apt, perhaps surprisingly, trails in third place. 2. Apt to and liable to, followed by an infinitive, are virtually interchangeable,… … Modern English usage
