（1）I may possibly be late.
(2) He can't possibly succeed.
句(1)和句(2)中的possibly的含义是否相同?
在肯定句里，possibly是“可能地”“也许”的意思，但在否定句里(往往与cannot，could not连用)则变成“无论如何”的意思。类例：
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He cannot possibly forget it. 他无论如何也不会忘记。
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I can't possibly eat any more. 我无论如何也不能再吃了。
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They can't possibly leave now. (= They can't under any circumstances leave now.) 他们现在无论如何也不能走。
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I can't possibly stay in all the weekend. (EED) 我无论如何也不能在这里停留整个周末。
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For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive. (《大学英语》精读2) 另外，大气层中充满了一氧化碳和其他致命的气体，任何人呼吸了这种空气都不可能幸存。
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Langdon could not possibly leave without Fache knowing about it. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 兰登绝不可能在法希不知情的情况下离开。(《达·芬奇密码》)
但是,请注意,并不是在任何否定句里 possibly 都作“无论如何”解,这要看 possibly 与否定词的相对位置而定。试比较:
a. They can't possibly leave now. 他们现在绝不可能动身。
b. They possibly can't leave now. (= It's possible that they can't leave now.)
(possibly 为修饰整句的状语)
也许他们现在不可能动身。