Epistemic moods

Verbal auxiliaries, affixes, adverbs, and particles that indicate epistemic moods.

• possibility: the speaker is indicating that the situation described in the proposition is possibly true. Some markers with this meaning also indicate future time: 'He may arrive late because of the weather; It may snow again tomorrow; She could have already taken it'.
  may could
• probability: the speaker is indicating that the situation described in the proposition is probably true. Some marker with this meaning also indicate future time. This is sometimes called the "Dubitative" in grammars: 'Paula should be home by now'.
  should
• inferred certainty: the speaker infers from evidence that the proposition is true: 'They must have killed a bear here (I can see blood on the snow)'.
  must have
• certainty: the speaker is emphasizing that the proposition is true.
  certainly
• uncertainty: the speaker is emphasizing that s/he doesn't know that the proposition is true.
  might
• indicative: main clause mood that also appears in questions. Contrasts with subjunctive, conditional, and imperative.
  [none in English]

• Certainly, definitely
• Sure
• Probably
• Possible
• Uncertain
• Unsure
  • Think so
  • Maybe
  • Seem
• Just, almost not
• Don't think so, doubt it
• Impossible