Generalizing

There are many phrases in English that we can use when we want to say that something is true most of the time but not all the time.

Ninety percent of the time...
Nine times out of ten...
More often than not...
Usually...
As a rule (of thumb)...
What normally happens is...
In general...
Generally speaking...
On the whole...
By and large...

Explanations

• Phrases 1 and 2 refer to numbers. These numbers are not literal.
• Phrases 3 and 4 refer to the high frequency of the statement being true.
• In phrase 5, a 'Rule of thumb' is a system of judgement that we use when it isn't possible to be precise
• Phrase 6 is followed by a sentence describing the normal event, occurrence or situation.
• Phrases 7 and 8 are formal and can be used in official or scientific writing.
• Phrases 9 and 10 are less formal but are used in some business correspondence.