"Mother, may I watch a movie?" "Yes, darling, that’s a splendid idea. If I finish up my work, I might be able to join you!" MAY and MIGHT: They seem interchangeable. But are they? Let's examine them together. MAY is a polite way of expressing hope and desire to do something. It is also appropriate when the chance of something happening is more likely than not. **May I stay up all night, pretty, pretty please? (hope and desire) **I may have dinner on the table by 6:30. (strong likelihood) With grammar, everything depends on sentence construction. If you start a sentence using may, don't switch to might mid-sentence. In the following sentences, the speaker should be feeling more than 50% optimistic that he/she will see the movie or attend the dance. **There's a chance I may make the movie on time, but there's a chance I may not. **I may or may not go the dance. MIGHT expresses a greater than 50% likelihood that whatever you're saying won't happen. Consider this sentence: **I might let you go, but we'll have to discuss it further. Why shouldn't you use MAY when doubt is present? It can be misleading, that's why. Let's look at the following example: **Zima may not use Yaya's bike. What's wrong with that? It sounds like Zima can't use Yaya's bike ever. Now let's change to MIGHT. **Zima might not use Yaya's bike. That indicates she has another transportation option to consider, not that she's forbidden from using Yaya's bike. Phew! That was tricky, even for me! Now let's cover another aspect of these words: VERB TENSES! MAY is present tense; MIGHT is past tense But both are used to indicate the likelihood of something occurring in the future! Fortunately, only MIGHT is used to reflect on something that occurred in the past. Here are two examples: **If Mary had studied harder, she might have done better on the test. **I fear that I might have overbaked the brownies, but I hope they're still enjoyable. P.S. If you're looking for an uplifting, original movie to watch, I highly recommend YESTERDAY - you MAY become a Beatles fan if you aren't one already. Please accept my deepest hopes and prayers for your continued safety. Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar
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When gripped by unprecedented fears, we can all benefit from a spoonful filled with hope and positivity. This post is especially short and sweet, and I hope it brings you a measure of comfort. HOPE (def.) = a strong desire for a favorable outcome Synonyms for HIGH HOPES: ASPIRATIONS, DESIRES, WISHES, AIMS, GOALS, DREAMS Synonyms for a life FILLED WITH HOPE: HOPEFULNESS, OPTIMISM, EXPECTATION, FAITH, BELIEF, PROMISE What are your aspirations, desires, wishes, aims, goals, and dreams? Use some of this time at home to identify and take positive steps toward achieving them, no matter how small. I advise setting at least one goal you can accomplish from home. Mine is to reach out to far away family and friends, one per day. Another goal is to take a family walk at least once per day (I know our boxer will appreciate that). What are your goals? Please accept my strongest hopes for your continued health and safety during this immensely trying time. Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper While this list doesn't cover every possible attitude and tone word, these are heavy hitters. If you or someone you know is taking the SAT, ACT, or SSAT, this list contains helpful definitions and test-taking tips! Why do people write articles, speeches, or letters to the editor? Because they care deeply about a given topic. They may be passionate, interested in sharing information, intellectually curious, mildly offended, or downright steaming mad. But they won't write if they feel any of the following ways, so these words will be INCORRECT 99% of the time: #1: APATHETIC - indifferent or unconcerned #2: AMBIVALENT - possess mixed feelings; take it or leave it attitude #3: SCHOLARLY - devoted to rigorous academic study, not to writing Have no fear: the list of possibly CORRECT tone and attitude words is longer than the one above. In fact, the first word below (#4) is almost always the CORRECT answer, especially with a review of scientific or historical facts. #4: OBJECTIVE - presenting information in an impartial manner #5: EVENHANDED - fair treatment to all sides #6: DIDACTIC - to instruct or teach #7: EXUBERANT - enthusiastic #8: SANGUINE - optimistic, positive outlook about the future #9: INDIGNANT - outraged about a perceived injustice #10: SARCASTIC - show contempt through use of irony and biting wit #11: FLIPPANT - responses that are neither respectful or serious #12: SARDONIC - a synonym for SARCASTIC; also scornful and downright nasty #13: REFLECTIVE - thoughtful; wistful #14: VEHEMENT - strongly worded conviction #15: CONDESCENDING - talking down to the audience; acting superior I'll finish up with a very important tip: on standardized tests, there is only one CORRECT answer. It must be unique, so if two possible answers are synonyms or closely related, both can be ruled out. OBJECTIVE is too similar to EVENHANDED and DIDACTIC; SARCASTIC and SARDONIC are synonyms; and VEHEMENT AND INDIGNANT are strikingly similar. Good luck to all the test takers out there! Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper EEK! PEEK and PEAK can be scarily difficult to keep straight, while PIQUE is so unique, it can be frightening all on its own. So let's address this fearsome trio one at a time! It helps to remember that EEK lurks inside PEEK. Because if you PEEK at someone who is getting dressed, that person is likely to yell EEK! Then hit you in the head for being a peeping Tom or Tilly. PEAK refers to the highest point of a mountain. If you climbed to the PEAK of Mount Everest, you'd be too tired to yell anything at all. PEAK also means "pinnacle," "top," or "limit" as with an athlete attaining a PEAK fitness level, a person reaching the PEAK of his/her career, or a car in PEAK condition. I'm sure you can come up with other ways to use PEAK, as it's quite versatile. PIQUE is pronounced the same way as the other two, hence its inclusion in the list. As a noun, PIQUE means irritation or vexation. As a verb, it can mean stimulate, awaken, or provoke, or it can also mean irritate, annoy, or vex. This homophone trio can be summed up like this: John was PIQUED that he kept mixing up PEAK and PEEK. Now he's unvexed and standing on the PEAK of Holt Hill playing PEEK-A-BOO with his baby sister. Happy Halloween!! Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar DO you realize that DO, DOES, and DID are fighting words? Read on and all will be explained. And don't worry: there are lots of examples! DO - present tense; singular and plural; used with I, you, we, and they Do I have to answer that question? Do you or Henry have a bike I can borrow? Do your mother and father know where you're going at midnight? Do we have to go to the dentist? I went last year! Do they know what time we are meeting? DOES - present tense; singular only; used with pronouns he, she, it, proper names, indefinite pronouns (anyone, someone, somebody, etc.), collective nouns (class and team, etc.) and more Does she go to this school? Does Angel have a dog? Does anyone know what's happening tomorrow? Does the class have a answer? Does Betty or Bob have a bike I can borrow? DID - past tense; singular and plural; used liberally Did you answer all the questions? Did he remember to bring his homework to school? How did the team do at Saturday's football game? I did not leave the lights on. Warren and Silvester did one hundred laps each. DO, DOES, DID often feature in pointed questions, which can often lead to pointed responses. It's easy to see how these words can lead to arguments!! Toodle-lo until next Sunday, when my Halloween post airs. Have a great week! Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar |
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