When “Might” IS Right

I recently faced a situation where I had to choose between using “might” or “may” in a sentence. Usually, I intuitively pick the right word (as I do with so much of my writing), so I never considered the rules behind when to use “might” and when to use “may.”

It turns out, there’s a very simple rule, which I found with just a glimpse through the recently-reviewed Grammar Done Right by Karen L. Reddick. (Thanks Karen, and thanks for stopping by the blog, as well.)

May = Maybe, Probably

Use “may” to indicate the probability of something occurring.

Since I’m flying early Saturday morning, I may have the whole row to myself.

This scenario is highly likely — I’m flying Southwest and betting no one is going to scramble for the seat next to the frazzled mom traveling alone with a toddler on an early morning flight. (And I’ll do my best to feign “frazzled” even though the two-hour flight should be easy.)

Reddick likens “may” to the word “maybe.” If it would not change the meaning of the sentence to use the word “maybe,” (although it might not be grammatically correct), then you can use “may.” You can also substitute the word “should” or “expect to” and see if that fits. If it does, “may” is your word.

… I should have the whole row to myself.

… I expect to have the whole row to myself.

Another Point Regarding May

“May” can also be used to ask permission, whereas “can” indicates the capability to do something. I won’t harp on this, since most of us have had the rule hammered into us by our third grade teachers, parents and other authority figures. When a young child asks the question, “Can I ride my bike?” it has a different meaning than “May I ride my bike?” Presumably, the child knows how; he wants permission.

Might = Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
“Might,” as Reddick describes it, is a weaker form of the word “may.” Use “might” when a situation is possible, but not likely.

After my vacation ends, I might decide to stay in Florida for the rest of the year. We could live at Disneyworld and I might get a job as Tinkerbell.

That situation is highly unlikely; I’m not even blonde!

If we look at my first example, substituting “might” makes me sound as if I’m not very sure we’ll get the row to ourselves: I might get a whole row to myself, but the flight is booked solid.

Whereas using “may” in the second example — well, that just makes me sound crazy!

The Exceptions

The issue I had with “might” v. “may” involved the verb “make.” “May make” just sounded awkward to my ears — so much so, that I was willing to sacrifice using the weaker word for the flow of the sentence. In retrospect, I could have written “could” without changing the sentence’s meaning.

There’s one other instance where “may” might not mean what you think it means. (Then again, it may. I suppose it depends on the parent.) When a parent answers a child’s question with the word, “maybe,” or says something “may” happen, that doesn’t mean the event is likely at all! (When my daughter is old enough to read, I will point her to this column.)

In conclusion, these guidelines may help, but it’s important to follow your writer’s instincts, and your ear, when deciding between the words “might” or “may.”