Probability, necessity and free will

Reading

[1]Notice the numerous variations on must and needn't in the following scene. Guess what they are talking about.

[2]This is the way job advertisements used to look.

PACKERS / SORTERS / SHELF-FILLERS WANTED Owing to a shortage of staff in our Liverpool branch following recent mergers, we are looking for:

10packers

15 shelf-fillers

20sorters

Previous experience desirable, but not necessary. Lack of qualifications not necessarily a disadvantage.

References optional.

Applicants should be in good health.

Good salaries and prospects.

Apply: J. Mills and Son, Mersey Street, Liverpool 4.

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Probability,necessityand freewill

How long will it be before we read adverts like this in our newspapers?

VACANCY OF XTJB/25 TYPE - LONDON

TLB pic are in urgent need ofa button-pusher for their newAXKmobile hypermarket complex.

Minimum 10 years' experience with buttons vital.

M.Sc., Ph.D. plus two other post-graduate qualifications essential, preferably 1st Class.

15 good references indispensable.

Applications must be accompanied by a 10,000-word thesis on a subject of candidate's choice.

The successful candidate will be required to attend work between the hours of 09.00 and 09.10 and again between 17.55 and 18.00 two days a week.

He or she will have to write up full reports on each pushing.

Participation in in-service training schemes is compulsory, attendance at all lectures and seminars obligatory.

This position is restricted to those in the 35 to 38 age-group; voluntary redundancy may be taken at the age of 40, when the worker appointed will be able to draw a full pension - type Y2a.

Deadline for applications: 31.12.01

[4j Finally, read this extract from the British news and note some ofthe degrees of probability it deals with.

'Good morning, and here is the 8 o'clock news, here on Radio Sunshine, for today,

April 1st.

•

Hopes were fading last night of a peaceful settlement of the border dispute between North and South Wales. A long, bitter struggle now looks inevitable after the predictable breakdown of yesterday's talks.

Fears are growing for the lives ofthe fifteen people whose boat capsized and sank off the Isle of Wight early yesterday morning. A diver at the scene said: "There's really not the remotest chance of any of them being found alive now'. The accident was almost certainly caused by the unexpected change in weather conditions at that time and may have happened as close as twenty metres from the shore.

The safety of the 250 passengers hijacked late yesterday afternoon was still in the balance last night. The ten billion dollars had definitely not been paid by the midnight deadline, and it seems unlikely that it will be in the foreseeable future. What the hijackers' next move will be is anybody's guess.

Prospects of an end to the three-month-old strike of Public Service Employees still look slim. A union spokesman is quoted as saying: 'There's no possibility of any progress while the Government remain so stubborn. There's no way we'll accept two and a half per cent'. A Government Minister commented: 'An increased offer is absolutely out of the question, certainly this year and most likely for some years to come.'

It looks as if unemployment figures, interest rates and inflation are all certain to continue rising. Cabinet Misisters now admit there is very little likelihood of any improvement before the end ofthe decade. Meanwhile BP have announced that in all probability they will be forced to put up their petrol prices by 15% from next month. It is thought that their competitors are bound to follow suit. A further increase before the end ofthe year has not been ruled out, while heavier taxation on petrol is still very much on the cards.

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Probability, necessity and free will

Sport, and the eight-day cricket match between Canton Bern and Canton Zurich seems set to be a draw. After three days ofheavy snow, it is extremely doubtful whether either side can force a result.

Andfinally,the weather: - today is sure to be wet and windy again; some areas might have thunderstorms and there could be some snow in the north. However, there is a distinct possibility that the sun will break through in some parts at tea-time, for a short period.

The time is five past eight. And now over to ...'

Practice

[l]In what ways do you think the next few decades will bring the following to each individual?

aless freedom

bgreater freedom

[2]What do you think is the most likely future for each of the following items?

athe Olympic Games

bnuclear arms с marriage

dbooks

ethe Aids virus

fthe ozone layer

gthe whale

hspace exploration

[3]Write a letter to your local council complaining about the inconvenience you had to put up with while your road was dug up for new water pipes to be laid — and again for them to be laid properly — and for a third time while they were laid in the right place.

Add here any other words about the concepts discussed in this unit that you may come across.

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Cause and effect

Reading 1

Notice some of the ways in which the following single sentence can be added to and commented on.

I'm going to continue with my English,

Practice

What do you think of English now? Which of these statements apply to you? (Notice how cause and effect are expressed.)

1 A lot of my problems stem from trying to translate from my language. 2 My hesitation in speech is caused by a lack of vocabulary.

3Some basic errors can be traced back to the way I learnt English at the beginning.

4My large vocabulary is a direct consequence of knowing two other European languages.

5Most of my problems have their roots in grammatical uncertainty.

6 Studying vocabulary has led to a better understanding of how English works.

7More vocabulary means more fluency.

8Learning a lot of words can result in confusion.

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Cause and effect

Reading 2

Notice, in this final and more difficult section, how a sentence can be added to, strengthened or balanced.

The illogical nature of much of English grammar makes it an unfortunate choice as a world language, let alone the leading one.

Consequently, many non-native speakers resent having English forced upon them. All possible attempts should be made, therefore, to further the cause ofEsperanto. For this reason, we should all try to ensure that French is not lost as an international language.

In spite of this - or because of it, perhaps - English has been the vehicle for much ofthe world's greatest literature.

It does, however, prove to be a relatively easy language for most people to learn, at least in the early stages.

On the other hand, no other language can boast the richness and versatility that English has acquired over the centuries.

Furthermore, its vocabulary is impossibly imprecise, its preposition usage totally ridiculous, not to mention the absurdity of its spelling rules.

Moreover, it has lost so much ofits charm over the past few decades that it no longer represents a satisfying subject for study.

What is more, the language has diversified into so many forms that most English speakers the world over would have difficulty in understanding each other. Besides, who really wants a world language anyway? In fact, who needs language?

• From now on, you will no doubt meet other ways of connecting two ideas. Make a note ofthem with examples below.

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