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Precision Words|about/around/roughly/exactly:曖昧さを設計する英語

英語が上手い人は「曖昧にしない」のではなく、どれだけ曖昧にするかを選んでいる。

Precision OS(最小)
Exact(断定) / Range(幅) / Estimate(推定) / Condition(条件付き) / Confidence(確信度)

数字:about / around / roughly / approximately

ニュアンス
about口語、軽いIt’s about $500.
around口語、近辺around 3pm
roughly雑め(幅広)roughly 20–30%
approximatelyフォーマルapproximately 1,000 units
exactly断定exactly $512.40
“roughly” は便利だが危険。を併記できると強い。

幅:between / from-to / up to / at least

  • between $800 and $1,200
  • from 2 to 3 weeks
  • up to 10 units (max)
  • at least 3 days (min)
幅があるなら“幅で言う”のがプロ。

期限:by / until / on / within

意味
by期限(その時点まで)by Friday
untilその時まで継続open until 6pm
on日付の当日on March 3
within〜以内within 24 hours
日本語の「まで」が by / until でズレる。ここは必修。

条件付き:if / unless / as long as

  • If we receive approval today, we can ship tomorrow.
  • Unless we hear back, we’ll proceed with Plan B.
  • As long as the scope stays the same, the price stays the same.
条件文は“安全装置”。リスクを言語化できる。

確信度:I’m sure / I think / It seems / It’s likely

強さ表現使いどころ
I’m confident that…根拠あり
It’s likely that…高確率
It seems that…観察ベース
It might be…仮説

毎日1分:Precision Drill(言い換え)

“It’s roughly $1,000.” → “It’s between $900 and $1,100.” → “It’s up to $1,100 depending on shipping.”

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