Дипломная работа: Modal verbs

E.g. The director is alone now. So you may see him now.

If you have got a car and can drive, you may spend part of your holiday moving from place to place. (C. Eckersley)

May in this meaning is found in affirmative sentences, in interrogative sentences which usually express a request, and in negative sentences where it denotes prohibition. But in negative sentences it is not common as prohibition is generally expressed by other modal verbs (see can and must ).

E.g. You may smoke in here. May I smoke in here? You may not smoke in here.

In this meaning may is combined only with the simple infinitive. In interrogative sentences the form might is also found when we wish to express a more polite request.

E.g. May I join you?

In reported speech the form might is used.

E.g. He told me that I might smoke in the room He asked me if he might join us.

5) disapproval or reproach

E.g. You might carry the parcel for me. You might have helped me.

Here we find only the form might used in affirmative sentences and followed by the simple of Perfect infinitive. In the latter case it expressed reproach for the nonperformance of an action.

The form might which expresses unreality is not always parallel to may. Might expresses unreality only in combination with the Perfect infinitive.

E.g. You might have let me know about it beforehand.

There was a car accident in front of our house. Luckily Tommy was at school. He might have been killed .

In most cases might is used as a milder and more polite form than may of as a form implying a greater degree of uncertainty:

permission – May I call to my mother now? Might I call to my mother now? (very polite )

Might I take the liberty of pointing out that you have made a small mistake? (J. Joyce)

supposition – He may come a little later. He might come a little later (less certain).

The Chancellor’s measures might help towards an agreement on an incomes policy. (Moscow News).

The two forms are not opposed in the meaning of possibility due to circumstances where only may is used, nor in the meaning of disapproval of reproach where might alone is found.

E.g. You may find the book at the library.

You might have considered your parents’ feelings.

May as well (might as well, might just as well) + infinitive is a very mild and an emphatic way of expressing an intention. It is also used to suggest of recommend an action.

E.g. I may as well take the child with me. (Я, пожалуй, возьму ребенка с собой. Пожалуй, будет лучше, если я возьму ребенка с собой).

You may as well give him the letter. I might as well stay at home tonight.

“I’ll go at six.” “That’s far too late; you might just as well not go at all.” (Можно было бы и не ходить туда совсем).