Or if you’d like to remember this in a different way, has can never be the second verb in a sentence. 1. Pattern Modal + Base Verb. Future. When a situation had the possibility to happen in the past, we use may and might. 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). May, Might & Could. Learn all about English modal verbs in my post. May and might . The modals may and might are used when expressing what might occur in the future. May and might have the same structure. {See May… May and might + infinitive are used to express present or future possibility.May expresses a greater degree of certainty:. 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.. English modal verbs. Might is used for speculative situations that didn’t actually happen. Modal auxiliaries are helping verbs that connect with normal/ordinary verbs to express a meaning, ask a question or negate. Therefore, the same rules apply. Today, let’s focus on modals of possibility. They may leave tomorrow. can . In English, there are three main modals of possibility: may, might, and could. The modal always comes before the base verb. In essence, may implies that there is a better likelihood or possibility of something happening than might does (maybe 70% vs. 30%). The airline told us that the flight might be delayed due to weather. I might have some flour in the pantry. 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). You should ask him. Either modal verb can be used. He may/might know Susan's telephone number. The seeds from the plant may grow up to 20 centimetres in length. In some instances, there is no difference. 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. You should introduce yourself; he may/might not remember you. Can You Use Might/May Have Interchangeably?. The assignment of probabilities to modal verbs, or the inference that native speakers do this, is wrong. May/might/could simply mean that it's possible, ie > 0% likelihood. Remind lower-level students that a base verb is one with no endings (no -ing, -ed, -s, etc.). Present. May and might function as modals such as can, will and should. The verbs may/might belong to the group of modal auxiliary verbs. Will/must - 100% Won't/musn't/can't - 0% To say that "might" means a probability of 30% is absurd. 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.. (Perhaps he knows her number.) We use the modal verb can to say that something is possible, allowed or somebody/something has the ability to do something. Both can be used to express actions in the future or the present. May is used for situations that could be factual or could be possible. 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 Use the verbs Can, Could, May and Might like a native speaker. I may/might see you later. May, Might and Must are modal verbs that cause confusion for some learners. Present and future. (There is a 50% chance that the flight gets delayed due to weather) Difference between Might and May. 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