Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

MAY

383

Uses

May

is used with a number of meanings.

Permission

May

is used to ask for, grant and refuse permission:

May I see that?

(possible responses: Yes, you may./No, you may not.)

Probability

May

is used to refer to weak probability:

[talking about a delivery]

There’s a bank holiday in between, so it 

may or may not get to you by the end of

that week.

644 | Modality

Cambridge Grammar of English

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General truths

May

is used in formal written English to describe things which are likely to occur

or which normally do occur. In this sense it is a more formal equivalent of can:

Frog spawn 

may be found in river beds at that time of year.

(is typically/normally found)

Û

146b Hedging: modality in Grammar and academic English

Concession

May

often has a concessive meaning, especially when accompanied by well

and/or followed by but:

[talking about dunlins, a small sea-bird]

A few 

may well have nested in Britain, but the vast majority would have flown

in from their breeding grounds in the far north around arctic shores. 

I 

may be in danger of stating the obvious, but I shall state it anyhow. 

Stalin 

may be long since dead, but Stalinism is not.