Modals · CEFR B1 · Independent
may / might — English modal verbs
Possibility, and formal permission.
The shape
may / might + plain verb
Say something is possible without claiming it is certain.
In Hindi
संभावना, और औपचारिक इजाज़त।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
It may rains today. | It may rain today. After a modal the verb takes no -s. |
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- must be workingB2Guess what somebody is doing right now
- seem, tend to, appearC1Make a claim you can defend
Questions people ask
- What is the may / might used for?
- Possibility, and formal permission. In practice: say something is possible without claiming it is certain.
- How do you form the may / might?
- may / might + plain verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the may / might?
- Saying “It may rains today.” instead of “It may rain today.”. After a modal the verb takes no -s.
Where may / might fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
may / might is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to modals. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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