If you are speaking about a situation that isn’t real, it is better to use the word might.. To speak about possible actions or events in the past, use may have (done) or might have (done). (There is a 50% chance that the flight gets delayed due to weather) Difference between Might and May. Both can be used to express actions in the future or the present. They may leave tomorrow. The assignment of probabilities to modal verbs, or the inference that native speakers do this, is wrong. In English, there are three main modals of possibility: may, might, and could. Present. He may/might know Susan's telephone number. Remind lower-level students that a base verb is one with no endings (no -ing, -ed, -s, etc.). Today, let’s focus on modals of possibility. Therefore, the same rules apply. Future. Some people claim that you can use might have and may have interchangeably, but this is a bad idea.May have should not be used in the past tense.. Pattern Modal + Base Verb. (Perhaps he knows her number.) May and might . 1. In some instances, there is no difference. I might have some flour in the pantry. In essence, may implies that there is a better likelihood or possibility of something happening than might does (maybe 70% vs. 30%). The modals May and Might often have a similar meaning when we talk about possibility; might is considerably more uncertain than may.However, we prefer may in academic or formal settings to express characteristics or behavior, as the following example illustrate.. can . Might is used for speculative situations that didn’t actually happen. May and might have the same structure. May, Might & Could. Will/must - 100% Won't/musn't/can't - 0% To say that "might" means a probability of 30% is absurd. (Perhaps I will see you later.) Modal auxiliaries are helping verbs that connect with normal/ordinary verbs to express a meaning, ask a question or negate. By the way, you can’t use may/might has + V3, because after a modal you must use an infinitive (the basic form of the verb). English modal verbs. Learn all about English modal verbs in my post. Can You Use Might/May Have Interchangeably?. The verbs may/might belong to the group of modal auxiliary verbs. Use the verbs Can, Could, May and Might like a native speaker. The seeds from the plant may grow up to 20 centimetres in length. December 28, 2018 October 7, 2019 materialsenglish may vs might, may vs might in english, Modal Verbs MAY, Modal Verbs MAY and MIGHT, Modal Verbs MAY and MIGHT in English, Modal Verbs MAY in english, Modal Verbs MIGHT, Modal Verbs MIGHT in english You should introduce yourself; he may/might not remember you. According to the American Heritage Dictionary’s 2012 Usage Panel survey, the vast majority of experts disagree with using might have and may have in the same contexts. Or if you’d like to remember this in a different way, has can never be the second verb in a sentence. May/might/could simply mean that it's possible, ie > 0% likelihood. I may/might see you later. The airline told us that the flight might be delayed due to weather. Present and future. The modal always comes before the base verb. You should ask him. May, Might and Must are modal verbs that cause confusion for some learners. Either modal verb can be used. The modals may and might are used when expressing what might occur in the future. May and might + infinitive are used to express present or future possibility.May expresses a greater degree of certainty:. May is used for situations that could be factual or could be possible. May and might function as modals such as can, will and should. When a situation had the possibility to happen in the past, we use may and might. 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