May or Might
Express Possibility
Express Possibility
Ø May is used for Higher Possibility
When you are 70% to 80% sure about something.
When you are 70% to 80% sure about something.
It may
rain tonight.
I may go to the party tonight.
I may go to the party tonight.
Ø Might is used for Lower Possibility
When you are only 10 to 20% sure about something.
When you are only 10 to 20% sure about something.
It might
rain today.
I might
go to a party.
Give Permissions
Ø May is used for taking permission
May I
come in?
May I go?
Ø May is used for giving permission
Yes, you
may come in.
Yes, you
may go.
Ø The modal Might is only used for permission
I reckon
if I might borrow your pen?
The modal Might is not used for granting permission.
The modal Might is not used for granting permission.
May and Might have a different tense
Remember: May\Might + have + past participle
Past Participle : Verb form 3 or V3
Remember: May\Might + have + past participle
Past Participle : Verb form 3 or V3
May is the
present tense.
Might is the
past tense.
We may go
for a movie. (Present)
They may have gone for a movie. (Past)
They may have gone for a movie. (Past)
We might
have gone for a movie, if we had a cab. (Past)
We may miss
the train. (Present)
They may have missed the train. (Past)
They may have missed the train. (Past)
We might
have caught the train, but we missed it. (Past)
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