‘may and might’
modals ‘may and might’
may
We can use ‘may’ to ask for permission. However this is rather formal and not used very often in modern spoken English.
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May I leave now?
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May I borrow your dictionary?
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May we think about it until tomorrow?
We use ‘may’ to suggest something is possible.
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Philip may come to stay with us
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I may not have time to do it straightaway.
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It may snow later today.
might
We use ‘might’ to suggest a small possibility of something. Often we read that ‘might’ suggests a smaller possibility that ‘may’, there is in fact little difference and ‘might is more usual than ‘may’ in spoken English.
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It might rain this afternoon.
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She might be at home by now but it’s not sure at all.
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I might not have time to go to the shops for you.
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I might not go.
For the past, we use ‘might have’.
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He might have tried to call you while you were out.
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I might have left it in the taxi.
