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I need help with the use of 'may' or 'might'

6 replies

lalaa · 01/07/2008 17:14

This is just one of those things that I never learnt properly at school.

I want to say 'I was wondering whether you may be interested....'. Or is it 'I was wondering whether you might be interested'?

I'm also interested to know what the rule is here so that I can learn it!

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lalaa · 01/07/2008 17:39

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AllFallDown · 02/07/2008 13:53

Both are used of past possibilities: may means the possibility is still open; might means it isn't. "Coldplay may have made the dullest record ever" (it was made); "Coldplay might have made the worst record ever" (but they never went into the studio to record it, so we'll never know).

In your sentence, don't use may or might. Say "I was wondering if you are interested" or "would be interested".

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donnie · 02/07/2008 13:54

might.

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Iklboo · 02/07/2008 13:54

Agree will Allfall down - are/would implies future activities

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lalaa · 02/07/2008 17:18

thank you!

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VintageGardenia · 03/07/2008 10:51

Hmm.

May and might are used to express the subjunctive mood, as in these dependent clauses:

'I will give you my key (so) that you may let yourself in."

'I gave you my key (so) that you might let yourself in."

I don't think you need the subjunctive at all in the sentence you are writing because there's no dependency but my Longman's Latin Grammar seems very distant at the moment...