What is a Modal Verb? Although both words mean practically the same thing, the only difference would be formality. An auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb, “helps” other verbs show moods and tenses. In general, this use of can belongs in speech, reported or fictional. Many people still think that MAY (present tense) should be used when we talk about a current situation and MIGHT (past tense) should be used when we talk about an event that happened in the past. Can I ask you a few questions? It raises the driver's cost to cover the negative externalities created by driving automobiles. I’ll try to answer it. Can, could or may ? Editor Emily Brewster responds:. Some example sentences with May and Might are… I might watch another episode. You may bring a partner to our event. In this section, we are going to take a look at the modal verb in a little more detail as well as some examples of how it can be used, giving you … A reader asked for some guidance on using the modal verbs "may," "might," "can," "could," and "ought." May and Might A modal auxiliary verb is used to modify the mood of a verb. If formality and politeness are of utmost importance, you should use “may” to denote permission. They are the past tense of ‘shall’, ‘will’ and ‘can’ but are also used in other situations. Can definition is - be physically or mentally able to. "I can run." Those are sentences you can say between yourself or close friends. How to use can in a sentence. The negative of may is “may not”. ... We use can and may, but not could, to give permission. Here are some examples of 'can' and 'be able to' used to speak about abilities. The use of can in a direct question to request permission is basically an oral use. For example, is one of these two sentences ‘more correct’ than the other? English teachers and parents used to try very hard to get young people to use "may" when asking for permission. [Tweet “ENGLISH GRAMMAR: MAY and MIGHT are both used to talk about possibility.”] MIGHT is past tense of MAY.. They might go to the beach this weekend. May, Might & Could A gasoline tax is an example of a Pigouvian tax. May not be: Here ‘May not’ has no direct connection with ‘be’, that is, ‘May not’ is just a helping verb/modal which means the exact opposite of ‘May’ in a particular sentence, just like ‘can’ and ‘can not’ works. This is an interactive online exercise about modal verbs of probability such as can, can, could, may and might. "Do you think I can win this horse race? On the other hand, might is used when … While may is used in a situation where something is possible to happen, but you are not sure about it. In the United States, the … MAY and MIGHT are both used to talk about possibility. 'May' Is OK. Now, “may” does have its rare place. I am determined and I think I can." He may have been ; She might tell us what happened if we ask her. Knowing the difference between may and might will help you understand which one is used in a sentence. ‘Should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’ are auxiliary verbs that can sometimes get confusing. (Several examples are given for speech.)