Learn English – “It will be” vs. “Chances are it will be”

meaning-in-context

I came across a question which has two expressions: "Chances are it will be" and "it will be”. Are they different?

Here is the fill-in-the-blank question:

Next time you are in a lift, look for the name of the people who made it. _________ the Otis Elevator Company.

A. Chances are it will be
B. It will be
C. May be

My answer is B but the answer is A. Anyone who can explain to me?

Best Answer

(the) chances are
informal
​it is likely:
Chances are (that) they'll be late anyway.
(Cambridge Dictionary)

So option A implies

It is likely that it will be the Otis Elevator Company.

Option A suggests that there is a high chance that the name is "Otis Elevator Company".

Option B

It will be the Otis Elevator Company.

suggests that it is guaranteed that the name is "Otis Elevator Company".

As you can imagine, there are likely many elevator companies, so it is not guaranteed that "Otis Elevator Company" is the name on the elevator. Instead, if it is the case that Otis Elevator Company is a very popular manufacturer, then its name is likely on the elevator. I assume there is a passage and it goes on to discuss this. So the answer is A.

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