Srama Great question! There is a great variety of differing information regarding the usage of "may" and "might" on the web, but I've taken the liberty of simplifying all of it into some easily-remembered guidelines. "May" and "might" are examples of modal verbs - they are "helping" verbs that usually accompany regular verbs in a sentence. Their special job is to express intentions or attitudes. For example: I MAY go to the party tonight. He COULD have been nicer to her if he wanted to. WOULD she buy the car if she COULD afford it? I wonder if I SHOULD go in to work tomorrow. There are two basic uses for the modal verbs "may" and "might": 1. POSSIBILITY We use "may" and "might" to suggest the possibility that something may happen. "May" is used to signal a great likelihood of that event occurring, while "might" is used when we are less certain or it is more unlikely that the event will occur. For example: We may be able to attend your wedding. I might miss my doctor's appointment if I can't get a babysitter. 2. PERMISSION Most often, we use "may" when we ask for permission. Less often, we could use "might" when we ask for permission, but this is more formal English usage, and also carries with it a more hesitant tone. For example: May I leave the room, please? Might I use your telephone? Although some may disagree, I would advise you to go ahead and use "may" and "might" interchangeably. The technicalities of usage in this issue put it beyond the concern of the average English user, in my opinion, and no one would hold it against you if you didn't appreciate the nuances of this matter. Some people draw a distinction between the use of "can" and "may" when asking for permission - it is maintained that "can" merely signals whether something is possible or not, while "may" invokes the more polite tone necessary when asking for permission: Pupil: Can I go to the bathroom? Teacher: I should hope you can, at your age, but you may not right now. You can choose whether you want to follow this distinction or not. This is an example of how language intersects with social and cultural issues like good manners. I'm personally not very particular when it comes to "can" versus "may" in asking for permission, but like I said, it's a personal choice for people to make (and to decide what to teach their children).
Ansuya, Thanks for the explanation. I don't know if I would be enthusisatic enough to serach the web for an explanation and find an answer - plain laziness. These questions keep popping up because you are there! The difference in the usage of 'may and might' is very clear from your explanation. Thanks. I agree, may sounds more polite than can - can almost sounds like 'I know I can do this, I am just asking you' while may conveys the same thing with politeness. I also realise can is more often used in a lot of situations by a lot of kids and yes, it is a personal choice.
Kalyani, you are very welcome. As are you, Srama. I'm quite happy to enthusiastically search the web for the answers you need - like I've said, I'm a supreme geek and nothing pleases me more than being able to answer a question or clear up a doubt while learning something myself! Today, I want to discuss five more word pairs like discreet/discrete - words that sound the same, but have quite different meanings and spellings. This means that although you can get away with not knowing the difference when you speak, your writing will give you away. 1. ACCEPT/EXCEPT "Accept" is a verb, and means to agree or receive willingly. Except can be a verb, but it is more commonly used as a preposition, and it means to leave out or excluding. She plans to ACCEPT his proposal of marriage. Everyone is allowed to vote, EXCEPT convicted criminals serving jail time. (preposition) Some people are able to lie convincingly, present company EXCEPTED.(verb) 2. STATIONERY/STATIONARY "StationEry" is a noun that refers to writing material (pens, paper, postal supplies, office supplies, greeting cards, etc.). "StationAry" is an adjective (describing word) that means "standing still". An easy way to remember the difference is to use the "e" in "stationery" to remind you of "envelope". Office supply stores offer discounts if you buy STATIONERY in bulk. He crashed into the back of the STATIONARY truck. 3. COMPLIMENT/COMPLEMENT "ComplIment" can be a noun or a verb, and it means to praise someone or words of praise. "ComplEment" can also be a noun or verb - as a noun, it means to complete something or make it whole, while as a verb, it means to bring out the good qualities of something. He won her over with an endless stream of COMPLIMENTS. (noun) It is not his habit to COMPLIMENT people insincerely. (verb) We are running behind on deliveries since we do not have our full COMPLEMENT of drivers. (noun) Subtle make-up COMPLEMENTS her striking features. (verb) 4. COUNCIL/COUNSEL "Council" is a noun, and refers to a group of people who gather to decide or preside over something. "Counsel" can be a noun or a verb; as a noun, it refers to advice that has been given (or people giving the advice - sometimes a lawyer is referred to as "counsel"), while as a verb it refers to the action of giving advice or advising. The new COUNCIL was formed to deal with the problem of vandalism. I have always trusted the COUNSEL given by that friend. (noun) It is important that all high schools have qualified personnel to COUNSEL students. (verb) Note also the difference between COUNSELLOR and COUNCILLOR - a counsellor is trained to advise people (therapy), while a councillor is usually a local member of government. 5. PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE "Principal" can be an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it refers to the main or most important component of something. As a noun, it is either a school headmaster or the original amount of a debt or investment (excluding interest). "Principle", a noun, refers to the main idea or central theory governing something. What is the PRINCIPAL cause of his hostile behaviour? (adjective) If his behaviour at school does not improve, he will have to see the PRINCIPAL. (noun) The longer you take to pay off your PRINCIPAL loan amount, the more interest you will owe. (noun) Honesty is the guiding PRINCIPLE in his life.
Speaking of words that sound the same... A flea and a fly were caught in a flue. "Let us flee!" said the fly, "Let us fly!" said the flea. So, they flew through a flaw in the flue.
I definetly can see/feel the joy of learning English - more as an adult than a student! That is a good snippet.
Srama, somehow I can't see you being anything but a good student, even when you were five years old! I was quite a bad student, and used to regularly fall fast asleep, especially in my English literature class Here is a good exercise for vocabulary expansion from the useful site Odd Word Out, Exercise 3 I've put ten examples here, but there are more if you click on the link. Please don't post your answers here, because I won't be checking or handing out gold stars! But I will post the answers later. The exercise is called "Odd Word Out" - each line lists five words. Four of them are synonyms (have the same meaning). Your job is to find the word that doesn't belong with the other four. Good luck! 1. plunder quiver shudder vibrate shake 2. slothful zealous fervent ardent zestful 3. forsake abandon prophesy desert leave 4. abolish eliminate expel discharge engulf 5. jerk yank pull snap tug 6. hamper seize take snatch capture 7. attempt try endeavour muffle essay 8. strike assault deter punch pound 9. sturdy tough hardy stalwart vivid 10.detest entice hate loathe abhor
This one's for you my friend One smart fellow, he felt smart. Two smart fellows, they felt smart. Three smart fellows, they all felt smart
Ansuya, I hope you are expecting us to post answers. Well anyways I got way too enthusiastic and posted mine. I did struggle a little with 7 and 9 but the words essay and vivid helped me. It is a very interesting exercise! 1. plunder quiver shudder vibrate shake 2. slothful zealous fervent ardent zestful 3. forsake abandon prophesy desert leave 4. abolish eliminate expel discharge engulf 5. jerk yank pull snap tug 6. hamper seize take snatch capture 7. attempt try endeavour muffle essay 8. strike assault deter punch pound 9. sturdy tough hardy stalwart vivid 10.detest entice hate loathe abhor PS: I am yet to find meanings of some words especially the ones I think do not belong to the group! And oh my other favorite activity is "jumble". I loved doing this.
NB: Skip this post if you don't want to look at the answers to "Odd Word Out" yet. Chitra, I can't thank you enough for all the support and positive energy you're sending! I'm sure we all appreciate how fiercely you're championing this thread - it's amazing to me that you would actually put a link to it in your signature. You have been a good friend to me right from the start, and I can see why you're so popular here on IndusLadies. You're a sort of "glue" that holds communities like this together Srama, I can see you want your gold star anyway! I was right about you - you're a natural student and can't resist any challenge someone puts to you. Top marks, you got them all right - well done! ANSWERS TO "ODD WORD OUT" EXERCISE 1. PLUNDER - to loot. The other words mean a shivering motion. 2. SLOTHFUL - lazy. The other words mean enthusiasm or passion. 3. PROPHESY - to foretell the future (a verb - the noun form is "prophecy"). The other words mean to give up on or leave something or someone. 4. ENGULF - to envelop or enclose something. The other words mean to get rid of something. 5. SNAP - to break something. The other words mean a pulling or pushing motion. 6. HAMPER - to hinder or obstruct. The other words mean to take possession of, in a rough manner. 7. MUFFLE - to dull the sound of, or prevent something from making a sound. The other words mean to make an attempt at something. 8. DETER - to discourage. The other words mean to hit. 9. VIVID - bright, vigourous, or clear. The other words mean strong or resilient. 10. ENTICE - to tempt. The other words mean a very strong dislike. Thank you all for your continued support
