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Could you please explain the following, which has tormented me for quite a while. My teacher says that there are three kinds of " may/ might ".

First, the "may/might" used for assumptions with 50 percent degree certainty like " he may be drunk now , he may have been drunk yesterday ".

Second, "may/might" for concession " he might have been there but I didn't see him , he may be rich but he is unhappy ".

Third - may for permission. I think that your rich and beautiful language has more meanings of may and might.

Could you please elaborate on that.

KillingTime
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vladv
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    Does this answer your question? "May" & "Might": What's the right context? (see Brillig's answer). – Edwin Ashworth Nov 13 '20 at 11:03
  • Yes, Brillig's is an excellent answer. I note especially "It is recommended to prefer might have over may have for a hypothetical that didn’t happen'. One of my pet peeves is people saying 'X may not have happened' when we know perfectly well that it did. – Kate Bunting Nov 13 '20 at 11:20
  • I'd say 'three' usages is a vast oversimplification. 'In my student days, I might, on the odd occasion, pop to the market for a pot of 'Bagtree' strawberry jam' (rare frequency actions in the past). // 'You might have gone to see your aunt when you were over that way' (upbraiding at a missed opportunity). // 'I might well do that' (80% probability?) // 'Yes, I might have done ... but I chose not to' ('might' = 'had the chance / ability / power / opportunity to) ... Modal usages take many years to master.// – Edwin Ashworth Nov 13 '20 at 11:26
  • Lexico perhaps mirrors the three-usage approximation for 'might' [V] most harmoniously. Collins lists 8 usages (though different dictionaries will doubtless separate subsenses into senses differently). I can only begin to imagine how much space OED dedicates to the ultra-flexible might. – Edwin Ashworth Nov 13 '20 at 11:35
  • thanks for your help – vladv Nov 13 '20 at 11:57
  • The three basic usages are a good starting structure, but be aware that "assumptions with 50 percent degree certainty" is madness. Assumptions with 0 to 100% certainty may take may/might. – Yosef Baskin Nov 13 '20 at 14:35
  • @EdwinAshworth I think you're right about the years it takes to master modal usages. I'm not sure that I've mastered this particular set definitively after seventy of them:-) – BoldBen Nov 13 '20 at 15:18

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