Analysis on the Use of Synonymous Analysis on the Use of Synonymous Adverbs: Maybe, Perhaps, Possibly, Probably, and Likely

The main objective of the current paper is to provide fuller definitions of five synonymous adverbs that express uncertainty: Maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably, and likely. In order to achieve this goal, 178 examples are collected from both spoken and written corpora and closely examined from semantic, stylistic, pragmatic, and syntactic points of view. The major findings are as follows: Maybe is used frequently in a casual context; perhaps is salient in its pragmatic use, such as hedges, when used in speech; possibly conveys a less degree of likelihood due to its theoretical property; probably frequently occurs with non-human propositions; and likely often accompanies good evidence and is the highest in the likelihood hierarchy. Observations under different perspectives are amalgamated to provide a clearer grasp of each adverb