Your prediction
Read your homework prediction. Your teacher will ask how certain you actually are.
Before your teacher asks how certain you are, predict:
1. What is the actual difference between choosing "will" versus "may" for a prediction?
Different degrees of certainty
Three predictions, three certainties
| Form | Certainty | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will / it’ll | High — a well-established pattern | It’ll reach about eight feet. |
| may / might | Genuine uncertainty | It may reach ten feet in ideal conditions. |
| can | Capability, not a prediction about this plant | Podocarpus can reach fifteen feet in the ground. |
Check the table above.
1. Which modal expresses a species’ known capability rather than a prediction about this specific plant?
2. Which form expresses genuine uncertainty?
Will, may, can — and quantity phrases
The choice is not politeness — it is honesty about how much the outcome depends on conditions you do not control. A hedge in good soil with regular water reaches a predictable height: will. The same species in poor soil is a real unknown: may. Using will for something genuinely uncertain oversells the prediction; using may for something well-established undersells your own knowledge.
Measurement and quantity phrases
| Phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| a [size]-gallon container | It comes in a 5-gallon container. |
| spaced [x] inches on centre | Shrubs are spaced 30 inches on centre. |
| reach [height] at maturity | It'll reach eight feet at maturity. |
Match each phrase pattern to its example.
Choose the right prediction
Choose the modal that matches the actual certainty described.
1. A well-documented species, planted in ideal conditions, with a predictable growth pattern:
2. A species whose mature size varies a lot depending on soil and sun:
3. Stating the species’ known upper capability, not a prediction for this specific planting:
Each sentence overstates or understates its certainty. Rewrite it with the more honest modal.
1. It may reach eight feet, in ideal, well-documented conditions.
2. It'll reach ten feet, depending on soil and sun.
Predict five plants
Task card
Your own five plants from Lesson 2
Predict the mature size of each, choosing will/may/can honestly for how certain you actually are.
- Use at least one quantity phrase — a container size or a spacing.
- Do not default to one modal for all five — vary it by actual certainty.
- If a client pushed back on one prediction, defend it in one more sentence.
One more check — match each statement to its real certainty.
Did you vary the modal?
Or did you reach for the same one every time? Go back and check whether each choice matches the real certainty.
Apply today's lesson.
1. What does varying your modal choice actually demonstrate to a client?
Before the next lesson
Homework. Think of a real spot that is shaded and dry — a real site constraint you have actually had to plant around. Bring it, even roughly.
Complete the homework instruction from memory.
Think of a real spot that is and — a real site constraint you have actually had to plant around.