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May Versus Might
Episode 96: February 22, 2008

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Grammar Girl here.

Today I'm going to answer a question from Elizabeth:

Hi, Grammar Girl. I love your podcast and I wanted to know if you could clarify the correct usage of may and might. I may go to the party or I might go to the party? I'm unsure. Could you please clarify this for me?

Thanks, Elizabeth! The difference between may and might is subtle. They both indicate that something is possible, but something that may happen is more likely than something that might happen. So you may go to a party if Matt Damon invites you, but you might go to a party if your least favorite cousin invites you.

A Mighty Stretch

I remember the difference by thinking that I should use might when something is a mighty stretch. Imagine something you'd almost never do, and then imagine someone inviting you to do it. For me, it's white-water rafting. The idea terrifies me. So if someone (such as my former employer) asked me to go on a corporate bonding white-water rafting trip, it's unlikely I would go, but I could be convinced if I thought my job depended on it. But it would be a mighty stretch. So I'd say something like, "Yeah, I might go; and pigs might fly, too."

So imagine whatever it is you'd be reluctant to do but wouldn't completely rule out, and then imagine yourself saying in a nice, sarcastic voice, "Yeah, I might." And that should help you remember to use might when the outcome is uncertain or unlikely and to use may when something is more likely to happen, such as attending a nice, safe company lunch where helmets and life vests aren't required.

You might clean your room, but you may call your friend later. You might climb Mt. Everest someday, but you may go hiking in the foothills next weekend.

Might Is the Past Tense of May

There are two exceptions to this rule.

First, might is the past tense of may. So you have to use might when you are referring to the past. For example, even if it's likely that Squiggly went to a party last night, Aardvark shouldn't say, “Squiggly may have gone to the party’; he should say, “Squiggly might have gone to the party.”

The second exception is a gray area. When you're talking about something not happening, it can be better to use might because people could think you're talking about permission if you use may. This is clearer with an example. If you aren't sure whether you'll go to the party, and you say, "We may not go to the party," it can be misinterpreted to mean you don't have permission to go to the party, particularly in writing, where voice inflections don't help guide the meaning. But if you say, "We might not go to the party," then your meaning is clear. It's the safer bet.

So remember to use may when the outcome is likely and might when the outcome is less likely or uncertain. But also remember that you use might for everything in the past tense. Also, it's OK to use might when you're writing about negative outcomes, even if they're likely outcomes, if using may would make people think you were talking about having permission.

Modals

Finally, here's a bit of grammar terminology. May and might are both called modals, as are words such as would, should, and could. Modals are helping verbs that tell you more about the mood or attitude of the action verb. For example, you can tell that someone has a different attitude toward a party depending on the modal used. There's a big difference between I may go, I should go, and I would go.

Web Bonus: List of Common Modals

· Can

· Could

· May

· Might

· Must

· Need to

· Ought to

· Shall

· Should

· Will

· Would

Grammar Girl Summer Tour

Thanks to everyone who has voted for the cities I might visit on my upcoming summer tour. If you haven't voted yet, you have until March 1 to send a blank e-mail to city@quickanddirtytips.com with the city of your choice in the subject line. The list of possible cities is in this transcript at quickanddirtytips.com.

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Also, if you use Twitter or Facebook, check me out. I'm Grammar Girl at Twitter and Mignon Fogarty at Facebook. If you followed me at either of those sites, you could have known the topic of today's show hours before it was released.

References

Brians, P. Common Errors in English Usage. Wilsonville: William, James & Co., 2003, p. 131.

Garner, B. Garner's Modern American Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003, p. 513.

may. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/may (accessed March 9, 2008).

may. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/may (accessed March 9,2008).

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1994, p. 627.

"Some Common Solecisms,”The Economist.com Style Guide

Strumpf, M. and Douglas, A. The Grammar Bible. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2004, p. 77.

Comments (15) for May Versus Might | Subscribe to Comment

Shasa Says:
4/23/2008 6:14:35 AM

AWESOME post. This helped a bunch. Thank you VERY MUCH.

Ahmed Says:
4/9/2008 12:29:31 PM

may : --- 1) permission : You may go out when you finish your homework. 2) possibility (50% yes, 50 % not) : He may be dead since the last time I saw him. 3) concession : He may be older but he is stupid. might : etymologically the past of may --- 1) indirect speech (permission and possibility) : Her mother said he might go out after he finished his homework. 2) unreal : They might have killed you.

Ahmed Says:
4/9/2008 12:27:39 PM

rock star librarian Says:
3/27/2008 10:48:50 AM

funny aside on might: when asked if something is possible - to my Southern ears to answer "Well, we might could do that for you." sounds correct, but it is so not correct. ; )

cat Says:
3/25/2008 9:10:49 PM

well grammar girl,your answers to questions are very helpful since I am teaching English grammar,but I still get confused with "might and may". But anyway thanks.

Mohammad Says:
3/22/2008 12:21:51 PM

Thank you grammar girl for this beautiful explanation

Dan S Says:
3/1/2008 9:06:45 AM

Grammar girl wrote: For example, even if it's likely that Squiggly went to a party last night, Aardvark shouldn't say, “Squiggly may have gone to the party’; he should say, “Squiggly might have gone to the party.” If it's likely then you can't use either may or might. You'd need, “Squiggly likely went to the party". Further, corpus studies show that 'may' "is especially rare in the sense of permission". 'can' and 'could' are used much more often. As to the confusion factor, this is a non-issue. In language use, we switch back and forth between epistemic and deontic [certainty and social] modal meanings with no confusion at all. Context makes it easy to see which is meant.

Dan S Says:
2/29/2008 9:32:55 PM

'might' is not the past tense of 'may'. In modern English the modal verbs are tenseless, ie. they can operate in all time situations. An easy test to determine the veracity of this statement; try to make a sentence where 'might' is the actual past tense of 'may'. It can't be done. Le me give you an example. He may go to work. Past tense: He might go to work.* [* denotes an ungrammatical collocation for the situation]

Cassandra Says:
2/29/2008 1:11:23 PM

I was taught that may applies to what is permissible, and might (and can) applies to what is possible.

Christhiane Says:
2/28/2008 6:55:57 AM

When I had grammar, we were taught that none of the the modal auxiliaries has tense anymore.

Elizabeth Says:
2/27/2008 4:37:53 PM

I've been struggling with may/might for many years as an ESL teacher - and I've found it comes down to register - one SAYS "might much more frequently than "may" - whereas "may" inwriting looks better for the prof.

Michael Lavergne Says:
2/27/2008 11:46:18 AM

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your show. You have been an indespensible source of information for me. My grades show it! Thank you Grammar Girl!

david Says:
2/26/2008 10:02:16 AM

In your closing sentence "If you followed me at either of those sites, you *could* have known the topic of today's show hours before it was released." Would it have been acceptable to have said "might"? or does 'could' imply a greater degree of certainty. Had one been following you they would have certainly known the topic of the show. Whereas if you said 'might' it would be past tense of 'may' and therefore indicate the possibility that one may still not know the topic. eks... I think I dug quite a hole..... Do you understand my question?

AnnaLisa Michalski Says:
2/22/2008 4:07:42 PM

This is wonderful! The question of may vs. might is one I had been asked to address in my ezine, but try as I might (ha ha ha!), I could not make a sensible lesson and realistic examples of it. The next time someone asks, I will just refer him to you instead. No wheel reinventor, I--especially when the original model rolls so beautifully.

rpmason Says:
2/22/2008 3:29:03 PM

"You may learn something." That I did. Like millions of others, I was scolded throughout childhood for saying 'can' where 'may' should have been. I don't think I was aware of the degree-of-likelihood distinction between 'may' and 'might'. I know that I usually choose 'might' over 'may' because of the permission issues. Another tool for the toolbox. Thanks!