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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I came across this at comics.com: If you love this comic, you may like these. now, as a middle school teacher, I have often used the old " can I go to the bathroom?" "I don't know, can you?" response. so when I saw the aforementioned phrase, I thought, they're giving me permission to like these other comics. how nice. I think that I would have used might rather than may. what say this band of collegial peoples? 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Not the question you asked, but:
In my callow yoot, I was frequently taken to task for asking "Can I…" and told the correct word to use was "may" in that context. These same prescribers (the ones we learned English from in the first place), in their own speech, would use "can" in this context. The only time I heard the "proper" word being used was in the game we called "Mother May I".
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379 |
Well, I use it that way. "Are you going?" "I may."
and
\May\, v. [imp. Might] [AS. pres. m[ae]g I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. m["o]gen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. ?. Cf. Dismay, Main strength, Might. The old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.] An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
I would have used the word might rather than may but as a matter of personal choice. I couldn't give you the proper grammatical rule for it.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
...now oftener expressed by can.
If I may.... blecchh, p-tewie... ralphfff
It oftener leaves a bad taste in my ear.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
Might I go sounds a bit affected to my ear, or as pals across the pond might say, a bit twee to Merican ear'oles.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
The good folks at American Heritage® remind us that may indicates a slightly stronger likelihood than might, but to me these here modals might could be pert near interchangeable. http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/034.html
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight!
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