may
/mei/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Modal Verb:
- Expressing possibility: Used to indicate that something is possible or could happen.
- Expressing permission: Used to ask for or give permission in a formal or polite context.
- Expressing a wish or hope: Used in formal or literary contexts to express a wish, hope, or blessing.
Noun (Proper Noun, capitalized: May):
- The fifth month of the year: The month following April and preceding June in the Gregorian calendar.
Examples of Usage
- Modal Verb (Possibility):
- It may rain later today. (There is a possibility of rain.)
- She may have already left the office. (It is possible she has left.)
- Modal Verb (Permission):
- May I borrow your pen? (A polite request for permission.)
- You may begin the exam now. (Formal granting of permission.)
- Modal Verb (Wish):
- May you have a long and happy life. (Expressing a formal wish.)
- Noun (Month):
- My birthday is in May.
- The flowers bloom beautifully in May.
Advanced Usage
- "may as well / might as well": Used to suggest doing something because there is no better alternative or no reason not to.
- The bus isn't coming; we may as well walk.
- "may ... but ...": Used to concede a point before making a contrasting statement.
- He may be young, but he is very experienced.
- "be that as it may": A formal phrase meaning "even if that is true" or "nevertheless."
- Be that as it may, we still have a deadline to meet.
Variants and Related Words
- Might: The past tense form of the modal verb 'may', often used to express a weaker possibility or in conditional sentences.
- I thought it might snow.
- Mayday: An international radio distress signal (from the French , "help me"), unrelated to the month.
- Mayflower: A name for various plants that bloom in May, most famously the ship that carried the Pilgrims to America.
Synonyms
- Could (for possibility or permission):
- Can (for permission, less formal):
- Perhaps / Possibly (for possibility):
Related Phrases and Idioms
- April showers bring May flowers: A proverb meaning that unpleasant things can lead to good results.
- Ne'er cast a clout till May be out: An old saying advising not to discard warm clothing until the end of May (or until the hawthorn () blooms).
- May-December romance/marriage: A relationship or marriage where there is a significant age difference between partners.
Noun
- thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America
- the month following April and preceding June