May/ Might

Confused as to how to use may/ might in a situation?

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Both May/Might are modal auxiliary verbs ( a verb that is used with a main verb to form a verb phrase) that refer to possible situations. Let us look at them individually.

May:

May has two meanings.

It indicates:

1.       Permission.

Example: Thank you, you may leave us now.

Example: May I go now?

2.       Possibility:

Example: It may come in handy.

Here the writer/ speaker can clearly imagine it taking place. It is a possible situation now and in the future.

Might is used to indicate a possibility. But here the writer is treating it as purely hypothetical, it could happen but then could a lot of other things. It implies a smaller possibility than the sentence using ‘may’ suggests.

Eg: It might snow today.

To refer to a situation which happened in the past, we use might have.

Example: I might have dropped it in the classroom.

 This post is a part of the APRIL A-Z Challenge