Even Greener Pastures
Language Learning => Questions about the Use of Language => Topic started by: Nikola on February 08, 2019, 01:09:19 pm
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Thanks Coligno and Wendy.
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Where I am from ¨may¨ is not more probable than ¨might.¨ All of those depend on context and tone of voice for the listening to make a judgment about the probabilities.
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The collocation "may well" isn't the same as "may" by itself. "May well" can be quite informal and, as you guessed, that "well" does have the function of making it more certain. "Might well" can be used interchangeably with "may well", I don't really feel any difference there. I suppose "could well" means pretty much the same thing too, but I'd say it's less common. It's perfectly possible that "may" by itself is more normal in some areas and doesn't sound particularly formal.
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Thank you all for your feedback so far.
Coligno, this is interesting because according to the source I mentioned above, may should be the most likely of them all. That's the exact opposite of how you feel about it. Mind you, it does also say "Many native speakers disagree on which one expresses more or less certainty."
Regarding may being more formal, I keep hearing this but I've heard it used quite a lot in informal speech (we're talking about the may that indicates certainty, not the may you would use in a polite question), especially with "well".
"It may well close down."
"It may well be that we'll have to find another place."
But then again, does well mean I'm more certain? :)
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You have to watch which one you use with your grandmother as you should ask for things with the phrase "May I". "May I" is more polite.
"Nana could I go outside and play"
"I don't know, could you?"
"Well, yes I think I could"
"Then why are you asking"
"Because mom told me to"
Then follows the lecture about "could" refers to ability, while when asking permission all good and polite children use the word "may".
"Oh. May I go outside"
"Yes you May".
"Jeez Nana, could we just cut to the chase next time?"
"We may, but no one likes a smartass, dear"
Unless you are impersonating royalty don't ask for things with the words "Might I"....
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At least in the example sentences you gave, "may" seems to express a slightly more remote possibility than "might", but it also sounds more formal; "might" is much more common in colloquial speech. With "could", I'd be more likely to expect a conditional clause to go with it, e.g. "The restaurant could close if they find out what you've been putting in the soup". Those aren't hard and fast rules, though, and I'd say you could usually get away with using them interchangeably.
The bit about stressing the modal or the main verb is correct.
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My first thought is that they're interchangeable. I suppose that I could make a case that each one has a different degree of certainty. But that might be a stretch and an unnecessary slicing and dicing. My advice is to keep it simple and use the first one that pops into your head.
I should have clarified that my advice and observations are based on my experience as a native speaker of American English. I suppose that you're looking at this from a British English perspective. At any rate, it's not an easy question to answer, in my considered opinion. But it's free advice and you know what they say about the worth of free advice. ;)
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I came across this the other day https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/modals-and-modality/could-may-and-might
I'd like to know how native speakers see it. Would you use could, may and might in different situations, to express different degrees of certainty, or do you see them as interchangeable?
The example is about something that could/may/might happen in the future:
The restaurant may close.
The restaurant could close.
The restaurant might close.
It also says that the speaker shows degree of certainty by stressing either the modal verb (meaning they're less certain) or the main verb (if they're more certain).
The restaurant might close = less certain than The restaurant might close.