11B - Help! I can’t decide!
May y Might are two modal verbs that we use to talk about something that could happen, but we’re not certain. It can be used both in present and future.
Like every other auxiliaries of this type (can, will, would, should, etc) the verb that follows goes in infinitive without to.
Both have the same structure, the only change is the probability.
Examples:
- I might go to Australia this summer.
- He might be home, or he might be at work.
- I might go to Paris this summer.
- I might go hiking this weekend. Do you want to come?
- I might make a pizza tonight, or I might go out to dinner.
- Ask Tom. He might know.
- They might be interested. We should find out.
- I might look for a job next year.
- Brring your umbrella, it might rain.
Examples in negative:
- He might not be at work today.
- She might not live in London anymore.
- We might not see each other before I leave.
- It’s really cold today. It might not warm up until the weekend.
- I might not get paid until Friday.
Examples in questions:
- Do you think he will be there?
- Do you think she still lives in London?
- Do you think we’ll se each other before I leave?
Examples in past: (might have + past participle)
- She might have been asleep.
- They might have got lost. They should be back by now.
- He might have misunderstood you.
Noun formation:
We often form nouns from other parts of speech, most commonly froma verb or an adjective. We can then use the noun phrase instead of the verb or adjective to create a more formal style. That is called nominalisation.
Examples:
- Excite => Excitement
- Grow => Growth
- Invade => Invasion
- Fly => Flight
- Industrial => Industralisation
- Wide => Width