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may and might: some special uses

may in wishes and hopes​

May (but not might) is used in formal expressions of wishes and hopes.

  • I hope that the young couple may enjoy many years of happiness together.
  • Let us pray that peace may soon return to our troubled land.

May often comes at the beginning of the sentence.

  • May you both be very happy!
  • May God be with you.
  • May the New Year bring you all your heart desires.
  • May she rest in peace. (prayer for a dead person)

may/might … but​

May (and sometimes might) can be used in a discussion rather like although or even if: to say that something is true, but that this makes no difference to the main argument. They are often followed by but.

  • He may be clever, but he hasn’t got much common sense. (= Even if he’s clever, he … OR Although he’s clever, he …)
  • It may be a comfortable car, but it uses a lot of fuel.
  • She might have had a lovely voice when she was younger, but …

Note that in this structure, may and might can be used to talk about things that are definitely true, not just possible.

  • You may be my boss, but that doesn’t mean you’re better than me.

may/might as well​

This structure is used informally to suggest that one should do something because there is nothing better, nothing more interesting or nothing more useful to do. There is little difference between may and might in this case.

  • There’s nobody interesting to talk to. We may as well go home.
  • ‘Shall we go and see Fred?’ ‘OK, might as well.’

Note the difference between may/might as well and had better (see here). Compare:

  • We may as well eat. (= There is nothing more interesting to do.)
  • We’d better eat. (= We ought to eat; there is a good reason to eat.)

Might as well is also used to compare one unpleasant situation with another.

  • This trip isn’t much fun. We might just as well be back home. (= Things wouldn’t be any different if we were at home.)
  • You never listen – I might as well talk to a brick wall.