Hi!
I'd like to know when you should use maybe and when you should use
perhaps. I'm not sure, buy maybe perhaps was used only in
former times. In any case, I've never heard perhaps on the
radio. All the VIPs use only maybe.
Roger
Woodham replies:
maybe
/ perhaps
In
British English both of these adverbs are still very commonly used
and have the same meaning. You use them to say that something is
possible or may be true, but you are not certain.
They
can be used interchangeably but of the two, maybe is very
appropriate for more informal contexts and perhaps is used
in more formal situations. Compare the following:
I
can't find it anywhere. ~ Perhaps / Maybe you threw
it away.
How
old is Jane? ~ I don't really know. In her twenties, certainly.
Twenty-five, maybe.
There
were perhaps as many as fifty badly wounded soldiers in
the hospital.
Perhaps
I should explain to you how they came to be there.
St
Paul's Cathedral is perhaps one of London's most prominent
landmarks.
Why
don't you join us for the New Year celebrations? ~ Yeah, perhaps
/ maybe I will.
Maybe
you are right! Perhaps it would be best if you didn't invite
Johnnie
Note
that perhaps is pronounced 'praps'. Note also from the above
illustrations that perhaps and maybe can be used to
refer to past, present or future events.
may
/ might
Similarly,
we can use the modal auxiliaries may or might to say
that there is a chance that something is true or may happen.
May and might are used to talk about present or future
events. They can normally be used interchangeably, although might
may suggest a smaller chance of something happening. Compare the
following:
I
may go into town tomorrow for the Christmas sales. And
James might come with me!
What
are you doing over the New Year, Ann? ~ Oh, I may go to
Scotland, but there again, I might stay at home.
If
you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel
better tomorrow.
If
you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow.
One
of my New Year resolutions is to go to the gym twice a week! ~
And pigs might fly!
Note
that 'Pigs might fly' is a fixed expression and always uses
might. It means that something will never happen.
In
the first conditional example, will perhaps could be substituted.
If
you go to bed early tonight, you may / might feel
better tomorrow.
In
the second conditional example, where might is an alternative
for would perhaps, may cannot be substituted.
If
you went to bed early tonight, you might feel better tomorrow.
perhaps
/ maybe / may / might
Finally,
as the very last item for 2001, this joke, which gives you further
practice of may and might, maybe and perhaps,
has been voted the top British joke of 2001! Does this tell you
something about British sense of humour? Happy New Year!
Sherlock
Holmes and Dr Watson* go camping and pitch their
tent under the stars. In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes
his companion up and says: "Watson, look up at the stars
and tell me what you deduce.**" Watson says: "I
see millions of stars and maybe quite a few planets among them.
It may be true that a few of the planets are quite like
Earth and there might be life on them." Holmes replies:
"Watson, you bloody fool***! Somebody has stolen
our tent!"
* Sherlock
Holmes and Dr Watson were the famous characters created
by the British writer of detective stories, Arthur Conan Doyle in
Victorian England.
** Deduce is a rather formal verb and is used particularly
in questions when you want to know what logical conclusions maybe drawn from the available evidence.
*** Bloody is a medium-strong swear word, used to give emotional
emphasis to something that you are saying. It should not be used
in polite situations. For polite conversation, substitute: You
stupid idiot!
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
