May and Might
May and Might are modal verbs. Some people think they are interchangeable, especially in speech, but is there really no differences between these two?
Modal Verbs May and Might
'May' and 'might' are two modal verbs that talk about the possibility of something happening in a situation.
Tip!
'Might' is used more frequently in spoken English than 'may.' 'May' is somewhat formal.
May
'May' is a modal verb that is used to talk about:
- Possibility
- Politely asking/giving permission
- Expressing wishes
- Suggesting something
Possibility
'May' is used when we want to express a possibility. It shows that there is a possibility that something will happen or be true but this is not certain.
I
Well, I
Politely Asking/Giving Permission
'May' is used when we want to politely ask permission for doing something. Using 'May I...?' is more polite than using 'Can I...?' or 'Could I...?'
The use of 'may' in this way is very formal and very polite.
If you want to politely give permission to somebody, you can also use 'may'.
You
You
You can use 'may not' or 'mayn't' (spoken) not to allow somebody to do something.
You
You
Expressing Wishes
You can use 'may' to express wishes. In this function, you can only use 'may'. 'May' and 'might' are not interchangeable in this case.
Suggesting Something
We can use 'may' in spoken English and in formal situations to say, ask, or suggest something in a polite way:
Might
Might is a modal verb that is similar to may. It has similar functions as may. It is used for:
- Possibility
- Asking permission politely
- Suggesting something
Possibility
'Might' is similar to the first function of 'may', which is expressing possibility. But the difference is that with 'might' the possibility is less likely. It is more remote, the chances are smaller.
He
I
We use 'might' as the past tense of 'may' when we want to report that someone talked or thought about the possibility of something:
He said he
She thought they
We can also use 'might' to express a possibility in the past that did not actually happen.
He
She
Asking permission politely
Especially in British English, 'might' is used for politely asking permission to do something. But, it is very rare and very formal.
Giving Permission
You cannot use 'might' to give permission.
Suggesting Something
We can use 'might' to suggest politely what someone should do.
If you want to get annulment, you
You
'Maybe' and 'May be'
If you write 'maybe' without space between the two words, it is a one-word adverb meaning 'perhaps'.
But, if you write 'may be' as two words, it is not an adverb anymore and it is a modal verb plus the verb be.
It
Past Possibility
If you're not sure that something has happened in the past, it's better to use 'might'. You can use 'may', too, but since 'might' is the past tense of 'may', you can use 'might'.
After 'might' in this use, you should use a past perfect tense after your modals.
I
In this example, you're not sure that something has happened in the past.
My response
Review
'May' and 'might' are used widely in English to talk about possibilities and to politely ask or give permission. The only difference between 'may' and 'might' is that "may" can be used to express wishes, while "might" cannot. Remember 'might' cannot be used to give permission.
may | might | |
---|---|---|
possibility |
It |
It |
ask permission |
|
|
give permission |
You |
___ |
express wishes |
|
___ |