difference between may and might

Share on Facebook

Seloc@n

#271070 Sat, 23 Sep 06 12:40 AM

Could you explain to me the difference between may and might ?

Seloc@n

Joined on Fri, Sep 15 2006

Turkıye

New Member (51)

Optimus

#271140 Sat, 23 Sep 06 04:48 AM

may and might. It may rain. It might rain. What’s the difference? Just as could is the past tense of can, might is the past tense of may: We thought we might win the tournament. But might can also be used as a substitute for may to show diminished possibility. Thus, saying We might go to the movies means that the likelihood of going is somewhat less than if you say We may go to the movies. When used to express permission, might has a higher degree of politeness than may. Thus, Might I express my opinion conveys less insistence than May I express my opinion.

-bartleby

Optimus

Joined on Tue, Jul 26 2005

Junior Member (66)

Could the true reason we fear the unknown be that we know ourselves too well? -The Outer Limits

milky

#271180 Sat, 23 Sep 06 08:49 AM

As the other poster said, there's time, possibility/likelihood and social relations ("politeness" is a limited concept) involved in choosing which to use.

We thought we might have won. DISTANCE IN TIME (and possibility)

We might go to the beach this weekend. DISTANCE OF POSSIBILITY/LIKELIHOOD

Might I help you, sir? DISTANCE IN SOCIAL RELATIONS

We may win today. CLOSENESS IN TIME (and possibility)

We may go to the beach this weekend. CLOSE POSSIBILITY/LIKELIHOOD

May I help you, sir? CLOSENESS IN SOCIAL RELATIONS

milky

Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004

Senior Member (3,149)

Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".

Marius Hancu

#271329 Sat, 23 Sep 06 04:12 PM

See my quotation from Garner in:
Post:271086

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,641)

Anonymous

#512605 Mon, 12 May 08 01:56 AM

Say if I want to tell my friends that I want to have our weekly meeting at their place this week, will it be more correct to say "It may be better to have the meeting at your place this week"? rather than "It might be better to have the meeting at your place this week"?

Is there a difference between the two?

Regards

Anonymous

Difference between, Regards

CalifJim

#512684 Mon, 12 May 08 08:53 AM

There is no difference between may and might worth agonizing about. may sounds a bit more formal to my ear. And may cannot be used where a past tense is required in tense matching: I knew I might be late. Not I knew I may be late. In other situations, both are used the same way.

Use the search box and you will find an amazing number of posts on this subject.