May/Might

El verbo modal "may" se utiliza para indicar que algo puede ser posible:

|| He may be lost. || El puede estar perdido ||
|| You may find a good hotel. || Tú puedes encontrar un buen hotel ||
|| She may want to come with you. || Ella puede querer venir contigo ||

utilizar su forma pasada "might" prácticamente con el mismo significado, aunque "may" indica un mayor grado de probabilidad:

|| He might be at home. || El podría estar en casa ||
|| He may be at home. || El puede estar en casa ||

• Ambas formas "may" / "might" también se utilizan para pedir permiso de una manera educada ("might" es incluso más cortés):

|| May I make a call? || ¿ Puedo hacer una llamada ? ||
|| Might I make a call? || ¿ Podría hacer una llamada ? ||
|| May I open the door? || ¿ Puedo abrir la puerta ? ||
|| Might I open the door? || ¿ Podría abrir la puerta ? ||

• Las formas negativas son "may not" y "might not" (o su forma abreviada "mightn't"):

|| He may not be here || El puede no estar aquí ||
|| He might not be here || El podría no estar aquí ||

• Para indicar posibilidad en el pasado utilizamos la estructura "may / might + have + past participle del verbo principal":

|| He may have come before. || El puede haber venido antes ||
|| He might have come before. || El podría haber venido antes ||
|| She may have finished yesterday. || Ella puede haber finalizado ayer ||
|| She might have finished yesterday. || Ella podría haber finalizado ayer ||

• También se pueden utilizar ambas formas para indicar posibilidad en el futuro:

|| This summer I may go to England. || Este verano yo puedo ir a Inglaterra ||
|| This summer I might go to England. || Este verano yo podría ir a Inglaterra ||

Gerunds as Subjects
• In the first two sentences to the right, the subject is highlighted. Notice how the use of the gerund is identical to the use of a more typical noun.


• A gerund sometimes begins a phrase that, taken as a whole, functions as the subject of the sentence, as in the third and fourth sentences to the right.
1. Learning begins in infancy.
(learning, the subject of the sentence, is
sometimes mistaken by students as a verb.)
2. Good study habits begin in infancy.
(habits is easily recognized by all students as a
noun)
3. Decorating our house has been a family
tradition at Christmas for generations.
(To help students recognize the gerund phrase as
the subject, ask them, "What has been a family
tradition?")
4. Running to the 7-11 for Krispy Kremes,
however quickly, does not constitute good
exercise.