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Might and may |
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Introduction
Definition May
and might are
modal auxiliary verbs with different uses. Construction
Note
that like other modal auxiliaries, may and might have no
infinitive and we use the same form with 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', 'it', 'we'
and 'they'. 'Do' is not used to form negative or interrogative sentences. Uses
Notes 1. Rather than using might in
questions about possibiity, it is more common to
use 'Do you
think..?’ For example:
We use could for questions about possibility: May John have sent it in the post instead
of by email? Could
John have sent it in the post instead of by email? 2.
If there is a chance that may could
be understood as permission, then we use might. For
example: Susan may go to
the party. [permission or
possibility]
Susan might go to the party. [possibility] 3. If you are in doubt about which modal to
use: Use can to
express ability. Use might to
express possibility. Use may to
ask for or express permission. ‘May’,
‘might’ or ‘could’? When
talking about possibility, might/may and could are not
always interchangeable because could has two meanings: 1)
'Can
achieve - able to be done or achieved, or able to exist' The three words are not interchangeable when
we are talking about possibility in this way: "We could play
tennis today" means that all the right conditions exist - we have enough
time, we have a tennis court nearby etc. We have the ability to play if we
want to. "We might/may play
tennis today" means that we are considering playing tennis but we are
not sure. 2)
'Not certain - that might or might not happen' Here, they are interchangeable. In
these sentences, we could also use 'maybe' or 'perhaps'. For
example, the following sentences all have the same meaning – there is a
possibility that
John is in the boardroom: John could be in
the boardroom. John might be in
the boardroom. John may be in
the boardroom. Maybe John is in the boardroom. Perhaps John is in the boardroom. Different
levels of certainty or doubt can be expressed by changes in the tone of voice
used. The present continuous Might and
may can also be followed by the present
continuous for
possibility now or in the future. For example: They
may be having lunch now; it's half past twelve. Gilbert
might not be
driving to the airport tomorrow – his car isn't reliable at the moment. When
using might and may with the simple tenses, it is easy to see if the
speaker is referring to the present or the future. For example: Susan might be in
the canteen. [present] John might speak
at the conference. [future] With
the continuous, it might not be clear. For example: John might be speaking at the conference. [present
or future?] If
necessary, we add a time reference. John might be
speaking at the conference at the moment. John might be
speaking at the conference later. Examples
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Some common expressions
Could |
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