Modal Verbs

Lesson 2: May and Might

Lesson: 2 of 10 | Level: 🟠 Intermediate

1. Lesson Overview

May and might are the modal verbs of possibility and permission. They occupy a distinctive place in the English modal system — softer than must, more tentative than will, and more formal than can. Like can and could, they are closely related — might was historically the past tense of may — but in modern English they are not simply a present/past pair. Both can refer to present and future time, and their distinction is primarily one of degree of possibility and register rather than one of tense.

May and might are among the most important modal verbs for academic and formal writing — where expressing possibility, uncertainty, and tentativeness with precision is essential. This lesson examines every dimension of their meaning and use, from elementary possibility to the most advanced epistemic and deontic applications.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify and apply all the main meanings of may and might
• Understand the distinction in degree of possibility between may and might
• Use may and might correctly in formal, academic, and everyday contexts
• Recognise and correct common errors in the use of may and might

2. Core Content

A. Forming May and Might

May and might are modal auxiliary verbs. They are followed by the bare infinitive and have the same form for all persons.

Affirmative, negative, and question forms

Note that mayn’t — the contracted negative of may — is extremely rare and largely archaic in modern British English. May not (two words) is the standard negative form. Mightn’t is more common but still relatively rare — might not is generally preferred.

Questions with may and might are relatively uncommon except in formal requests for permission (May I…?) and in formal or literary questions (Might there be…?). In everyday contexts, could or can is more commonly used for questions about possibility.

B. The Main Uses of May

1. Present or future possibility — epistemic

May is used to express a genuine possibility — the speaker considers it possible but not certain that something is or will be true. It is stronger than might — implying a higher degree of probability.

For example:

The anomalous temperature readings may indicate the presence of a previously undiscovered hydrothermal vent field in this sector of the ocean floor. Rising ocean temperatures may push several species of coral beyond their thermal tolerance limits before the end of this decade.

2. Permission — formal

May is the formal and correct modal verb for giving and requesting permission — more formal than can and appropriate in official, academic, and professional contexts.

For example:

Researchers may access the archived data set once they have received written authorisation from the principal investigator. May I present the preliminary findings to the committee before the full analysis is complete?

3. Concession — acknowledging a possibility while maintaining a contrasting position

May is used in concessive constructions — acknowledging a point the speaker is willing to grant while introducing a contrasting or qualifying statement. This use is particularly common in academic and formal argumentation.

For example:

The data may support the hypothesis in isolation, but the broader evidence base points in a different direction. Ocean acidification may be progressing more slowly in some regions than in others, but the global trend is unambiguous.

4. Wishes and hopes — formal and literary

May is used in formal and literary contexts to express wishes, hopes, and blessings — a use that is more common in written English than in speech.

For example:

May the findings of this expedition contribute to the protection of these extraordinary ecosystems for generations to come. May future generations inherit a planet whose oceans are as rich and diverse as they are today.

5. Purpose clauses — so that… may

May is used in formal purpose clauses introduced by so that — expressing the intention behind an action.

For example:

The data is being archived systematically so that future researchers may access it without difficulty. The methodology is documented in full so that the study may be replicated by independent teams.

6. Expressing uncertainty in academic writing

May is one of the primary hedging tools in academic writing — used to present claims, interpretations, and conclusions with appropriate tentativeness rather than unwarranted certainty.

For example:

The results may suggest a causal relationship between rising temperatures and declining species richness, though further investigation is required. This pattern may reflect the influence of local oceanographic conditions rather than global climate trends.

C. The Main Uses of Might

1. Present or future possibility — weaker than may

Might expresses a possibility that the speaker considers less likely or less certain than may — a more tentative assessment of what could be true.

For example:

The expedition might encounter conditions severe enough to prevent a safe descent to the target depth. The species might have developed a resistance to the elevated temperatures — but the evidence is not yet conclusive.

2. Past possibility — in reported speech and after past tense verbs

Might is used as the backshifted form of may in reported speech and in contexts where the main verb is in the past tense.

For example:

The team leader suggested that the anomaly might be explained by instrument error rather than by an actual change in conditions. Scientists warned in the 1980s that rising temperatures might eventually push coral reef systems beyond the point of recovery.

3. Hypothetical and conditional possibility

Might is used in hypothetical and conditional contexts — expressing what would be possible if certain conditions were met. This is analogous to the use of could for hypothetical ability.

For example:

If the funding were increased significantly, the research programme might be able to extend its monitoring network to cover the entire Pacific basin. A more systematic approach to baseline data collection might have allowed scientists to detect the changes earlier.

4. Polite suggestions

Might is used to make polite, tentative suggestions — more indirect and deferential than could and appropriate in formal and professional contexts.

For example:

The committee might consider extending the funding cycle by a further twelve months to allow the full analysis to be completed. You might find it useful to review the baseline data from the 1990s before drawing conclusions about the current trend.

5. Criticism and reproach — might have

Might + have + past participle is used — in a similar way to could have — to express criticism or reproach about a past action, implying that something was possible but was not done.

For example:

The team might have collected additional samples from the southern sector if it had allocated more time to that phase of the survey. Scientists might have identified this relationship decades earlier if more systematic monitoring had been in place from the outset.

6. Expressing tentativeness and hedging in academic writing

Like may, might is an important hedging tool in academic writing — but it expresses a slightly lower degree of certainty and is therefore appropriate when the evidence is more preliminary or the claim more speculative.

For example:

The results might indicate an emerging trend, though the sample size is too small to draw firm conclusions at this stage. This pattern might be explained by seasonal variation rather than by a sustained directional change in the underlying conditions.

D. May vs. Might — Key Distinctions

The distinction between may and might is primarily one of degree — may implies a higher probability than might — and of register and context.

Consider the following contrasting pair:

The expedition may find evidence of a new vent field. (the speaker considers this quite possible) The expedition might find evidence of a new vent field. (the speaker considers this less certain — merely a possibility)

In practice, the distinction between may and might for present and future possibility is often subtle and is not always strictly observed — particularly in informal speech. However, in formal and academic writing, the distinction carries meaningful weight and should be maintained carefully.

E. May Not vs. Might Not — A Critical Distinction

May not and might not differ significantly in meaning and must not be confused.

May not expresses the possibility that something will not happen — it is the negative of possibility. Might not expresses the same — the possibility of a negative outcome.

But in certain contexts, may not also expresses prohibition — that something is not permitted.

The context usually makes the intended meaning clear — but writers should be aware of the potential ambiguity of may not in formal contexts.

3. Usage in Context

• May expresses present or future possibility — the speaker considers something genuinely possible, with a relatively high degree of probability.

The anomalous seismic readings may indicate that a significant event is imminent along the southern section of the fault line. Rising ocean temperatures may drive several species of deep-sea coral to extinction before their full ecological significance has been determined.

• Might expresses present or future possibility with a lower degree of certainty — a more tentative assessment than may.

The data inconsistencies might be explained by instrument drift rather than by a genuine change in the underlying conditions. The expedition might encounter ice conditions severe enough to prevent access to the research site during the early weeks of the survey.

• May is used in formal contexts to give or ask for permission — it is more formal than can and more appropriate in official and academic settings.

Researchers may access the full archived data set once they have received written authorisation from the data management committee. May I present the preliminary findings to the advisory board before the complete analysis has been finalised?

• Might is used as the backshifted form of may in reported speech and in contexts where the main verb is in the past tense.

The lead scientist suggested that the anomaly might be the result of a previously undetected submarine volcanic event. Early climate models warned that rising temperatures might eventually push the Earth’s climate system past critical tipping points.

• May is used in concessive constructions — acknowledging a point while maintaining a contrasting or qualifying position.

Ocean temperatures may be rising more slowly in the deep Pacific than at the surface, but the long-term trend across all ocean basins is unambiguous and accelerating. The methodology may have limitations in certain contexts, but it remains the most reliable approach currently available for measuring deep-ocean temperature change.

• Might is used in hypothetical and conditional contexts — expressing what would be possible if certain conditions were met.

If the research team had access to a larger fleet of autonomous vehicles, it might be able to complete the full survey in half the time currently required. A more systematic programme of baseline monitoring might have allowed scientists to detect the early signs of ecological change decades before the crisis became apparent.

• Might makes polite, tentative suggestions in formal and professional contexts — more indirect and deferential than could.

The committee might consider extending the project timeline by six months to allow for the collection of a more statistically robust data set. You might find it helpful to review the findings of the 2015 survey before drawing any conclusions about the significance of the current data.

• Both may and might are used as hedging tools in academic writing — expressing claims and conclusions with appropriate tentativeness rather than unwarranted certainty.

The results may suggest a causal relationship between ocean warming and the declining reproductive success of deep-sea invertebrates, though further experimental evidence is required to confirm this. This pattern might reflect the influence of localised oceanographic conditions rather than a global directional trend — a possibility that warrants further investigation.

• May is used in formal purpose clauses introduced by so that — expressing the intention or goal behind an action.

The full methodology is documented in detail so that the study may be independently replicated by other research teams. The data is being made openly available so that other scientists may verify the findings and build upon them in their own work.

• May is used in formal and literary expressions of hope and good wishes — a use that is rare in everyday speech but common in formal written English.

May the work of this generation of scientists lay the foundation for the conservation of the deep ocean for generations to come. May the evidence gathered during this expedition contribute to the development of more effective international policies for the protection of marine ecosystems.

• May not expresses the possibility of a negative outcome — it is possible that something will not happen or is not the case.

The current data may not be sufficient to support the conclusion that the trend is statistically significant. The proposed methodology may not be appropriate for use in conditions of extreme water pressure and temperature.

• May not also expresses prohibition in formal contexts — that something is not permitted.

Researchers may not remove physical samples from the laboratory without the prior written consent of the principal investigator. Participants may not share the details of the study with third parties until the findings have been formally published.

• Might not expresses the possibility that something will not happen — a tentative negative possibility.

The results might not be reproducible under different experimental conditions — a limitation that the authors acknowledge in their discussion. The species might not survive the projected temperature increases even if other environmental stressors are reduced.

• In formal academic writing, may and might are preferred over can for expressing theoretical possibility — can expresses what is logically or empirically capable, while may and might express what is uncertain or unconfirmed.

The technique can detect concentrations as low as one part per billion. (empirical capability — can) The elevated readings may indicate the presence of a previously undetected methane seep. (uncertain possibility — may)

• In formal writing, avoid the contraction mightn’t — use might not instead.

The findings might not be representative of conditions across the broader region. (formal — preferred) The findings mightn’t be representative. (informal — avoid in academic prose)

• May and might interact with the passive voice — formed with may/might be + past participle.

The species may be classified as critically endangered following the publication of the survey results. The data might be affected by instrumental bias introduced during the calibration process.

• May and might interact with the perfect aspect — may/might have + past participle — to express past possibility. This is examined in full in Lesson 9.

The readings may have been affected by a temporary malfunction in the sensor array. The species might have already been present in the ecosystem before the first systematic survey was conducted.

4. Common Errors and Corrections

5. Lesson Mastery

After completing this lesson, you should now be able to:

    ✅ Identify and apply all the main meanings of may and might

    ✅ Understand the distinction in degree of possibility between may and might

    ✅ Use may and might correctly in formal, academic, and everyday contexts

    ✅ Recognise and correct common errors in the use of may and might