Present and Future Possibility

May and might are used to talk about possible things that might happen. These possibilities can be about things that might be happening right now (present possibility) or things that might be happening in the future (future possibility).

Present Possibility

Kate: "Hey Sam! Have you seen Bob?"
Sam: "No, I haven't. He may be at work right now."

Kaitlyn: "Who's that?"
Greg: "I don't know! She might be our new manager..."

Future Possibility

Kate: "Look at the sky! There are so many clouds."
Sam: "Yeah. It's also cold. It might snow tonight."

Kaitlyn: "Where's Kate?"
Susan: "I don't know. She may come late."

Use may or might when something is possible but not certain. If you are certain about the present, use the simple present or the present continuous. If you are certain about the future, use will or be going to.

Possible but Not Certain

Greg: "Where's Emily?"
Kaden: "I don't know. She might be upstairs."

John: "We need to be in class by 9:00."
Bob: "The bus might not be on time. It's often late."

Certain

Sara: "Where's Robin?"
Conan: "She's in the kitchen. I just saw her."

Asa: "We need to be in the city by 8:00."
Koan: "The train will be on time. It's never late."


Exercise

Please open the exercise to continue.

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