Page 149 - Basic English Usage

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199
149 198
When there is no direct object, we usually prefer the expressions get
married and get divorced, especially in an informal style.
Lulu and Joe got married last week.
(Lulu and Joe married .. . is not so natural.)
When are you going to get married?
The Robinsons are getting divorced.

We can use get/be married with | to + object |.
She got married to her childhood sweetheart.
lve been married to you for sixteen years and | still don't know what
goes on inside your head.

198 may and might: forms

May is a ‘modal auxiliary verb’ (see 202).
There is no -s in the third person singular.
She may be here tomorrow. (NOT Shemays ...)
Questions and negatives are made without do.
May help you? (NOT Be-Hray ... ?)
|
After may, we use the infinitive without to.
You may be right. (NOT -Yeermayte-be-right-)
May has no infinitive or participles. When necessary, we use other words.
She wants to be allowed to open a bank account.
(NOT ... temayeper ...)

Mightis a ‘less definite’ form of may — it does not have a past meaning.
We use both may and might to talk about the present and the future (see
199; 200).

There is a contracted negative mightn't. (Mayn'tis very unusual.)
May and qight are used mostly to talk about probability and to ask for and give
permission. See 199; 200.

199 may and might: probability

Chances
We use may and might to say that there is a chance of something:
perhaps it is true, or perhaps it will happen.
We may go climbing in the Alps next summer. (= Perhaps we'll go.)
‘Where's Emma?’ ‘| don't know. She may be shopping, | suppose.’
Peter might phone. If he does, could you ask him to ring again later?
‘| might get a job soon.’ ‘Yes, and pigs might fly.'(= ‘It's very unlikely.’ )