30. May and Might 2 ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

30. May and Might 2

A	We use may and might to talk about possible actions or happenings in the future: ·         I haven't decided yet where to go on holiday. I may go to Ireland. (=perhaps I will go there) ·         Take an umbrella with you. It might rain later. (= perhaps it will rain) ·         The bus isn't always on time. We might have to wait a few minutes. (=perhaps we will have to wait) The negative forms are may not and might not (mightn't): ·         Amy may not go out tonight. She isn't feeling well. (=perhaps she will not go out) ·         There might not be enough time to discuss everything at the meeting. (=perhaps there will not be enough time) Compare will and may/might: ·         I'll be late this evening. (for sure) ·         I may/might be late this evening. (possible)
B	Usually you can use may or might. So you can say: ·         I may go to Ireland.                               or I might go to Ireland. ·         Jane might be able to help you.            or Jane may be able to help you. But we use only might (not may) when the situation is not real: ·         If they paid me better, I might work harder. (not I may work) The situation here is not real because they do not pay me well, so I'm not going to work harder.
C	There is a continuous form: may/ might be -ing. Compare this with will be-ing: ·         Don't phone at 8.30. I’ll be watching the football on television. ·         Don't phone at 8.30. I might be watching (or I may be watching) the football on TV. (=perhaps I'll be watching it) We also use may/might be -ing for possible plans. Compare: ·         I'm going to Ireland in July. (for sure) ·         I might be going (or I may be going) to Ireland soon. (possible) But you can also say ‘I might go /I may go ... ' with little difference in meaning.
D	Might as well Helen and Clare have just missed the bus. The buses run every hour ·         A: What time are you going out? B: Well, I'm ready, so I might as well go now. ·         Buses are so expensive these days, you might as well get a taxi. (=taxis are as good, no more expensive)

EXERCISES

30.1	Write sentences with might. 1 Where are you going for your holidays? (to Ireland???) I haven't decided yet. . _____I might go to Ireland _________ 2 What sort of car are you going to buy? (a Honda???) I'm not sure yet. I ___________________________ 3 When is Tom coming to see us? (on Saturday???) He hasn't said yet. _________________________________ 4 Where are you going to hang that picture? (in the dining room???) I haven't made up my mind yet. _______________________ 5 What is Tanya going to do when she leaves school? (go to university???) She's still thinking about it. _____________________
30.2	Complete the sentences using might+ the following: bite   break   need     rain     slip     wake 1 Take an umbrella with you when you go out. It ______ might rain ______later. 2 Don't make too much noise. You ________________ the baby. 3 Be careful of that dog. It _______________you. 4 Don't throw that letter away. We _____________ it later. 5 Be careful. The footpath is very icy. You ________________________ 6 Don't let the children play in this room. They ________________ something.
30.3	Complete the sentences. Use might be able to or might have to+ one of the following: fix    help    leave     meet    sell    work 1 Tell me about your problem. I ____might be able to help _______you. 2 I'm not free this evening, but I ____________ you tomorrow. 3 I don't know if I'll be free on Sunday. I __________________________ 4 I can come to the meeting, but I ___________________before the end. 5 I'm short of money. I want to keep my car, but I ______________ it. 6 A: There's something wrong with my bike. B: Let me have a look. I __________________it.
30.4	Write sentences with might not. 1 I'm not sure that Liz will come to the party. ______ Liz might not come to the party __________________ 2 I'm not sure that I'll go out this evening. I_________________________ 3 I'm not sure that we'll be able to get tickets for the game. We _________________________________________ 4 I'm not sure that Sam will be able to go out with us tonight. ______________________________________________________
30.5	Read the situations and make sentences with might as well. 1 You and a friend have just missed the bus. The buses run every hour. You say: We'll have to wait an hour for the next bus. We _____might as well walk______ 2 You've been invited to a party. You're not very excited about it, but you decide to go. You say: I'm not doing anything else, so I ________________ to the party. 3 You've just painted your kitchen. You still have a lot of paint, so why not paint the bathroom too? You say: We __________________. There's plenty of paint left. 4 You and a friend are at home. You're bored. There's a film on TV starting in a few minutes. You say: ____________________. There's nothing else to do.

ANSWER KEY

30.1 2 I might buy a Honda. 3 He might come on Saturday. 4 I might hang it in the dining room. 5 She might go to university. You can use may instead of might in all these sentences. 30.2 2 might wake 3 might bite 4 might need 5 might slip 6 might break You can use may instead of might in all these sentences. 30.3 2 might be able to meet 3 might have to work 4 might have to leave 5 might have to sell 6 might be able to fix You can use may instead of might in all these sentences. 30.4 2 I might not go out this evening. 3 We might not be able to get tickets for the game. 4 Sam might not be able to go out with us tonight. You can use may instead of might in all these sentences. 30.5 2 I might as well go 3 We might as well paint the bathroom. 4 We might as well watch it. / ... watch the film. You can use may instead of might in all these sentences.