Why have a letter in a word when it’s silent in pronunciation, like the b in debt? Can anyone please clarify my uncertainty here?
If you are certain about something, you firmly believe it is true and have no doubt about it. If you are not certain about something, you do not have definite knowledge about it.
"what is certain is that every effect must have a cause"; "it is certain that they were on the bus"; "his fate is certain"; "the date for the invasion is certain"
Why is a just a rather odd wh -word. Its distribution is very limited -- it can only have the word reason as its antecedent, and since it's never the subject it's always deletable. Consequently it behaves strangely, as you and others point out.
So, what, the different between "b" and "p" is supposed to have something to do with how the noise is formed in the throat area (in the larynx)? For me it's purely an airflow thing - "b" builds up pressure behind the lips which stops building the moment the lips are opened, while "p" keeps the airflow going a moment after the lips are opened up. This answer doesn't seem to make sense. (US ...
sure, certain, positive, cocksure mean having no doubt or uncertainty. sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance. certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence.
CERTAIN definition: 1. having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true, correct, exact…. Learn more.