Maybe vs may be - What's the difference? English In A Minute
92,961 views ・ 2019-06-24
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Hi, everyone!
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What's the difference between
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'maybe' and 'may be'?
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Well, we're going to find out in this English In A Minute.
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'May' is used to express possibility
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– usually not a very certain one.
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It's a modal verb
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so it's always followed by a bare infinitive.
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The bare infinitive of 'be' is…
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be!
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Using the two together, we can make a sentence:
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Don't call her. She may be at work!
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Now, 'maybe' is just one word.
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It's an adverb and it has a few uses.
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Most commonly, it means 'perhaps' or 'possibly'.
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In this case, it's often the first word in the sentence.
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Don’t' call her. Maybe she's at work!
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However, put it in front of an amount
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to mean 'around' or 'approximately'.
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This video will be seen by maybe a million people.
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Make it happen, people!
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