grammar

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by baqarah131

But even after meditating through a sleepless night (just kidding), I still don't think that "may" denotes either a higher or lesser degree of probability.

I may be wrong there.
edward

"[D]enotes either a higher or lesser degree of probability" than what, Edward?

[baqarah131]

Than each other. Sloppy writing. Must be all those sleepless nights.

I meant that in my opinion
It might rain tomorrow
and
It may rain tomorrow
indicate the same degree of likelihood that tomorrow will be wet.

I hope that's better!
edward

Originally Posted by riverkid

"[D]enotes either a higher or lesser degree of probability" than what, Edward?

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by baqarah131

Than each other. Sloppy writing. Must be all those sleepless nights.

I meant that in my opinion
It might rain tomorrow
and
It may rain tomorrow
indicate the same degree of likelihood that tomorrow will be wet.

I hope that's better!
edward

And yet you chose 'may' to express the possibility that you could be wrong.

Edward wrote: I may be wrong there.

Would 'might' have worked for you there?

[baqarah131]

I was pulling your leg!
But I really feel that "may" is more formal than "might," and might is far more common, and those are the only differences between the two.

I might have to reconsider.
edward

Originally Posted by riverkid

And yet you chose 'may' to express the possibility that you could be wrong.

Edward wrote: I may be wrong there.

Would 'might' have worked for you there?

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by baqarah131

I was pulling your leg!
But I really feel that "may" is more formal than "might," and might is far more common, and those are the only differences between the two.

I might have to reconsider.
edward

Hello again, Edward.

Let me suggest that that is an affliction, in a non-pejorative sense, which happens more to school teachers. The idea of the epistemic [level of certainty meanings] 'may' has been conflated with deontic [social uses of modals] 'may'. They have separate uses, just as the other modals do and epistemic 'may' has nothing to do with politeness, it's simply a measure that expresses a certain level of speaker certainty.

Studies of language corpuses show that epistemic may is not as common as might for the speech register, but it is more common in other registers, ie. academic. I did post that, didn't I?

[baqarah131]

We'll agree to disagree, or else murder each other. I prefer the former.
Actually, I've caught myself saying "may" a couple of times since we started this thread. It's not a four-letter word.
But I still feel that slobs like me, who eat breakfast in their underwear and change their socks once a week, are more likely to say might, whatever the degree of probability, and we'll leave "may" to the Oxford types, the British, and their kin, wherever they may be.
regards
edward

Originally Posted by riverkid

Hello again, Edward.

Let me suggest that that is an affliction, in a non-pejorative sense, which happens more to school teachers. The idea of the epistemic [level of certainty meanings] 'may' has been conflated with deontic [social uses of modals] 'may'. They have separate uses, just as the other modals do and epistemic 'may' has nothing to do with politeness, it's simply a measure that expresses a certain level of speaker certainty.

Studies of language corpuses show that epistemic may is not as common as might for the speech register, but it is more common in other registers, ie. academic. I did post that, didn't I?

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by baqarah131

We'll agree to disagree, or else murder each other. I prefer the former.
regards
edward

That'll work for me, Edward. Have a grand evening, what's left of it for you, and a restful sleep!

[baqarah131]

After all this intellectual stimulation I may/might have trouble settling down and getting to sleep.
Ah, the burdens we bear as intellectuals.

cheers
edward

Originally Posted by riverkid

That'll work for me, Edward. Have a grand evening, what's left of it for you, and a restful sleep!