grammar mistake

[vectra]

Hello, everyone out there!
Could you find a mistake in the following sentence, please: Surveys note however, that the elderly are frequent victims of certain types of crimes, like purse-snatching.
It is from TOEFL.

And could you, please, explain the difference between maybe and may be.

Thanks in advance

[MrPedantic]

Hello Vectra

I would rewrite the sentence as follows:

1. Surveys note, however, that the elderly are frequent victims of certain types of crime, like purse-snatching.

i.e. with a comma after "note", and with "crime" in the singular.

"Maybe" is an adverb; you use it when you're not sure if something is true or will happen, e.g.

2. Maybe I'll go for a drink tonight. [I'm not sure if I will go for a drink.]
3. Is that the girl you went out with yesterday? — Well, maybe... [I'm not sure if it's the girl I went out with yesterday.]

"May be" is verbal, e.g.

4. She may be the girl I saw yesterday.
5. I may be going for a drink tonight.

MrP

[vectra]

Thank you ever so much for your help, Mr Pedantic!
The thing is I used to do a lot of interpreting aтв translating when I worked as the international officer of the Liberal party of Ukraine. I worked in London in 1995. For the last ten years I have been teaching English at University. The question I posted just got me. Now I can explain these sticking points to my students.

Yours,

Sergei Polovin
Ukraine

[MrPedantic]

Hello Vectra

On reflection, it occurs to me that a very strict teacher might dislike the use of "like" in the example, and replace it with "such as".

Good luck with the students!

MrP