English Grammar (Modal Verbs or Modal Auxiliaries): Lesson 3: MAY and MIGHT (with examples!)

MAY and MIGHT: When Do We Use Them?

Dear learner or mere visitor, welcome to our website!

Why don’t you take a notebook and a pen to make the most out of this post? You will be more active this way and your time won’t be wasted.

As you can see in the title, this is the third lesson in the modal verbs or modal auxiliaries series.

REMEMBER:

There are 9 modal verbs in English: Must, Can, Could, May, Might, Will, Would, Shall and Should.
Modal verbs are tools that help us to express modality. In fact, modals allow the speaker to express his or her point of view regarding an action, an event or a situation.
Modal verbs always remain the same no matter the subject and cannot be conjugated. Moreover, they do not have present and past participles. (I am may~~ing~~ go./ I ~~have~~ mayed go.)

Lesson on May and Might (Modal Verbs or Modal Auxiliaries), Learn English With Africa

Step 1: Characteristics of MAY

We use MAY in the present tense. (E.g. You may go now.)
A verb stem always follows MAY. (E.g. He may perform this afternoon.) The verb stem is also known as the base of a verb. You can find examples of verb stems in the dictionary.
We do not add ‘TO‘ after MAY. (E.g. She may to come.)
MAY is able to replace auxiliary verbs such as DO and BE which help us to form questions. (E.g. How may I help you?)

Step 2: Examples of MAY in the Affirmative Form (+)

Expressing Possibility in the Present

Here, MAY refers to a situation that is possible in the present. Note that BE, THINK and CONTAIN are state or stative verbs.

He may be sick.
She may think that you are a fraud.
The packet may contain peanuts.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the present using MAY.

Expressing Possibility in the Future

Here, MAY refers to a situation that is possible in the future.

He may come tomorrow.
She may succeed in her project.
You may become an English teacher one day. You never know!

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the future using MAY.

Expressing Possibility in the Future in Zero Conditionals

This is when MAY is used to refer to an imaginary or hypothetical situation that is possible depending on the realisation of a prior action. Note that the verbs REPAIR, TRAIN and COME are in the present tense.

I may go if you repair my car.
He may win if he trains hard enough.
We may stay up late if you don’t come home earlier.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the future in zero conditionals using MAY.

Expressing Possibility in the Past

As paradoxical as that sounds, MAY + HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) can also be used to say that something was possible in the past. However, we are not certain that the situation or the action actually happened.

He may have repaired my car.
She may have talked to him by now.
They may have done it.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the past using MAY.

Giving Permission

In this case, we use MAY to tell someone that he or she is allowed to do something in the present. The context is formal.

You may stand up.
He may enter the office.
They may smoke here.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you give someone permission in the present using MAY.

Expressing Good Wishes

We can also use MAY to express hope and goodwill for ourselves or for another person.

May you live a long life.
Frankly speaking, may he succeed in all his endeavours.
May we remain friends forever.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you give someone permission using MAY.

Making Suggestions in the Present

MAY can be used to put forward an idea to someone so that he or she may consider it.

You may want to use this way. It’s safer.
We may as well party all night.
It may be a good idea to cut sugar from your diet.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject makes suggestions in the present using MAY.

Step 3: Examples of MAY in the Negative Form (-)

Expressing Impossibility in the Present

In this context, we use MAY + NOT to talk about something that is not possible in the present. The chances are very low.

He may not be sick.
She may not think that I’m coming.
The packet may not contain any peanuts.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the present using MAY + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Future

Here, MAY refers to a situation that is impossible in the future.

He may not come tomorrow.
She may not succeed in her project.
You may not become an English teacher. You have to be aware of that.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the future using MAY + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Future in Zero Conditionals

I may not go if you don’t repair my car.
He may not win if he doesn’t train hard enough.
We may not stay up late if you come home earlier.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the future in zero conditionals using MAY + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Past

MAY + NOT + HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) can also be used to say that something was impossible in the past.

He may not have repaired my car.
She may not have talked to him by now.
They may not have done it.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the past using MAY + NOT.

Expressing Prohibition

This is another usage of MAY + NOT in which the subject does not have permission to do something.

You may not go out.
They may not stay in this area.
She may not smoke here.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express prohibition in the present using MAY + NOT.

Expressing Bad Luck

This is another usage of MAY + NOT in which the subject does not have permission to do something.

May you not see the light of day.
Honestly, may they not survive another week.
May his car not make it on time.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express prohibition in the present using MAY + NOT.

Step 4: Examples of MAY in the Interrogative Form(?)

Asking for Permission

Here, we use MAY to ask somebody if we can do something. In this case, the setting is formal like in a school, so people have to be very polite.

May I go to the bathroom, teacher?
May we stay here? Is it allowed?
May they leave their stuff here?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for permission from someone in the present using MAY.

Asking Questions in Conditional Sentences

Here, we use MAY to ask WH- or Yes/NO questions in hypothetical or unreal situations.

What may happen if snow falls in the desert?
May I come if I bring some cake?
How may this affect me if I proceed to do it anyway?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks WH- or Yes/No questions in conditional sentences using MAY.

Asking for Information

In this case, MAY behaves like an auxiliary verb and helps us to form WH-questions. The questions are more formal and polite than when we use CAN.

What may I do to make you feel happy?
How may I help you?
When may I come?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for information in a formal and polite way using MAY.

Making Requests

In this incident, the speaker may use MAY ????to ask something from someone.

May I call you today?
Jane, may I use your telephone?
May we come with you?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject makes a request using MAY.

May and Might (Lesson on Modal Verbs), Learn English With Africa

Step 5: Characteristics of MIGHT

We use MIGHT as the past tense of MAY. (E.g. He told me that he might come.)
We also use MIGHT in second conditionals. (E.g If I had a lot of money, I might buy a beautiful house by the lake.) This past form of MAY is also called the unreal past because it refers to an unreal or hypothetical situation. However, note that the action ‘buy a beautiful house‘ will happen in the future.
A verb stem always follows MIGHT. (E.g. It might contain peanuts.) The verb stem is also known as the base of a verb. You can find examples of verb stems in the dictionary.)
We do not add ‘TO‘ after MIGHT. (E.g. She might to be sick.)
MIGHT is able to replace auxiliary verbs such as DO and BE which help us to form questions. (E.g. When might I get the vaccine?)

Step 6: Examples of MIGHT in the Affirmative Form (+)

Expressing Possibility in the Present

Here, MIGHT refers to a situation that is possible in the present. With MIGHT, the event is less likely to happen than with MAY and CAN.

He might be sick.
She might think that you are a fraud.
The packet might contain peanuts.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the present using MIGHT.

Expressing Possibility in the Future

In this instance, MIGHT helps us to say that there is a chance that a situation can be realised in the future. The degree of probability is less than when we use MAY or CAN.

I might come tomorrow.
We might call you there.
He might get COVID-19.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the future using COULD.

Expressing Possibility in the Future in Second Conditional Sentences

In this case, we use MIGHT to refer to a hypothetical situation that is possible in the future, depending on the realisation of a previous action.

If they were rich, they might buy a mansion with a swimming pool.
I might stop living in the city, if I became famous.
If they talked to him, he might give them the solutions to their problems.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the future in conditional sentences using MIGHT.

Expressing Possibility in the Past

In this case, we use MIGHT + HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) to say that a situation or an action was possible in the past but did not necessarily happen.

He might have repaired my car.
She might have talked to him by now.
They might have done it.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the past using MIGHT.

Making Suggestions in the Present

MIGHT is a good way of proposing an idea to someone in a tactful way.

You might consider calling him first before you visit his office.
We might as well eat the whole pizza.
It might be a good idea to start doing sports regularly.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject makes suggestions using MIGHT.

Step 7: Examples of MIGHT in the Negative Form (-)

Expressing Impossibility in the Present

In this context, we use MIGHT + NOT to refer to a situation that is very unlikely to happen in the present.

He might not be sick.
She might not think that you are a fraud.
The packet might not contain any peanuts.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the present using MIGHT + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Future

In this instance, we use MIGHT + NOT to say that a situation is impossible in the future.

I might not come tomorrow.
We might not call you there.
He might not get COVID-19.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the future using MIGHT + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Past in Third Conditionals

In this context, we use MIGHT + NOT +HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) to talk about something that did not happen in the past but there was a possibility for its realisation if another action had been done.

He might not have won, if luck had not been on his side.
She might not have stayed, if you had stopped being kind to her.
They might not have been accepted for the job, if they had come for the interview late.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the past in third conditionals using MIGHT + NOT +HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect).

Step 8: Examples of MIGHT in the Interrogative Form(?)

Making Polite and Formal Requests

Here, MIGHT is used to ask someone for something in a polite and formal way.

Might I take your temperature?
Sir, might I see your passport?
Might I call you on your mobile phone?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject makes polite and formal requests using MIGHT.

Asking for Information

In this case, MIGHT behaves like an auxiliary verb and helps us to form WH-questions. The questions are more formal and polite than when we use MAY and CAN.

What might I do to make you feel happy?
How might we change the situation?
When might I come?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for information in a formal and polite way using MIGHT.

Asking questions in Conditional Sentences

In this case, we use MIGHT to form WH- and Yes/No questions in hypothetical or unreal situations.

How might the pandemic affect travelling if the spread of the disease is not controlled?
What might happen if he comes today?
Who might answer the letter if they write to us?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for information in conditional sentences using MIGHT.

Asking for Permission

It is also possible for you to use MIGHT to ask someone if you can do something in a very formal context.