7 Expert Ways to Use 'Might' [English Modal Verb]

Since you're here watching this video,

I know that you have a goal to improve your overall fluency and

confidence in English.

I know that you also want to advance to another level.

To do all of that, there are two important things to focus on.

You need to focus on fluency and accuracy.

The kinds of activities that we do for each are different.

Fluency-focused activities,

help with overall natural flow and conversation,

and they help you to express meaning.

Accuracy-focused activities help you to be correct when you

communicate and they help to prevent mistakes.

IN this Confident English lesson today,

we're focused on accuracy specifically with the word might

in English. I know you're already familiar with this word.

You've learned it when you studied modals in the past, for example,

those words can.

Could, should, would, may.

And of course might.

And you already know that might is used to talk about possibilities.

For example, the sentence. I might go on a walk this afternoon.

But this mighty word can be used for so much more in English

conversation.

Using it correctly can add layers of meaning to your

sentences, indicating an advanced level of knowledge and ability.

If you don't already know, I'm Annemarie was Speak Confident English.

This is exactly where you want to be every week to get the confidence you want

for your life and work in English. As I mentioned in this lesson today,

we're going to focus on that word 'might.' You are going to learn seven

different ways to use might in English and to be sure to stick with me till the

end, where I'll have a challenge it's for you. Let's

cive in right away with our first two uses of might,

which you *might* already be familiar with. Number one,

to make a prediction,

we use the word might to predict events that are likely to occur.

And when we use it in this way,

the structure of the sentence tends to include the word might

followed by the infinitive or base form of the verb

without the preposition to.

I know that sounds like a lot of jargon.

So let me give you a couple of clear examples.

It might rain tonight. So don't forget to take your umbrella. In that sentence,

notice the word might is followed by the verb rain,

and I'm not using that preposition to with the infinitive form.

Another example,

our boss might be upset if we don't submit the proposals on time.

Again,

I'm using might followed by the infinitive or base of the

verb without to. And in both of those examples,

I'm also making some predictions, things that are likely to occur.

And now the second example that you're likely familiar with is again,

to talk about possibilities. As I mentioned at the beginning,

we can use it in sentences like,

I might go on a walk this afternoon and in that sentence,

I'm focused on a future possibility, but here's, what's interesting.

Might can also be used to talk about past and present possibilities.

That might seem a little bit surprising or even confusing. So again,

let me show you some clear examples.

Let's start with a focus on possibilities in the present moment.

Dr. Kane might be available on the 26th.

Why is this considered a present possibility? What do you think?

Let's think about the context of the sentence.

Imagine you're at a doctor's office and you're communicating with their

administrative staff.

And one of the individuals says Dr. Kane might be available on the

26th.

That possibility is true now at this

present moment. But if you call back tomorrow,

it may no longer be available.

So it's a possibility in the present moment.

Let's look at another example. If you send the email now,

the manager might not receive it in time. Again,

we're focused on the reality of something happening in the present and the

likely possibility. As I mentioned, the word might,

can be used for future present and past possibilities.

So now let's transition and look at a couple of examples that are past focused.

Let's imagine you've lost your sunglasses and in the discussion you might be

having with a friend or a family member,

someone might say "you might have left your sunglasses on the beach."

Here's another example:

the salesperson might have accidentally charged you twice for your shirt.

Again, we're talking about a past possibility.

Now let's go back and look at the structure of those sentences carefully.

What do you notice here? We're using might plus have,

and the past participle. Let's pause for a moment.

I want you to give this a try,

think about something that might have happened in the past.

You're not really sure, but it's a possibility.

See if you can put a sentence together using that structure might plus

have in the past participle.

And now before we move on to the third way that we can use might,

I have one more example under this idea of a future present

or past possibility. And this one is a little bit tricky.

We use might to indicate that something that seems

impossible might actually happen,

if we're lucky. When I use it in that way,

I'm indicating that meeting the deadline feels impossible at this

moment.

Maybe I'm looking at a long list of to-do tasks and I just don't

know how all of it will get done by the deadline,

but we *just might* make it.

It's that sense that there's a decent shot,

a small chance of exceeding, if we're lucky. Similarly,

if you're in a brainstorming discussion and someone proposes a solution to a

problem that initially seems totally unreasonable or

impossible, but the more you think about it,

you start to realize it *just might* be the solution that you're looking

for.

And that's a great sentence to use in brainstorming conversations.

If someone proposes an idea,

you could say that just might be the solution. All right,

now that you're familiar with using might to talk about a prediction or a

possibility, let's go on to the third way to use this word.

We can use might to express a lack of alternatives

or that a solution or decision is our last resort.

It's our last choice. To do this,

we use the phrase might as well. For example,

the movie doesn't start until 9:00 PM.

We might as well eat dinner beforehand. In that statement,

I'm suggesting that eating dinner before the movie is kind of my last choice.

Maybe I really wanted to go to a movie and then dinner,

but because the movie doesn't start till 9:00 PM,

it'll finish late. And by that time, it's too late to have dinner.

So we might as well eat before.

And now number four,

we can use might to make a suggestion or express an

obligation. This is a great strategy in professional situations.

We can use might to make a polite suggestion or

indicate in a very polite way that someone is obligated to do

something. For example,

let's say that you're considering some new ideas to share with your boss

about some new strategies that they could use.

And your coworker says it might be wise for you to do a bit

more research before you share your ideas.

What she's saying or what she's suggesting is that your ideas aren't

really ready to be shared.

They need a little bit more research before you do that.

So she's making a very polite suggestion. Similarly,

let's say that you're looking at moving into a new apartment.

You ask one of your friends for some advice, and she says,

you might want to take a little bit more time to think about it before you sign

the lease. Again,

she's making a very polite suggestion or indicating something that

you are obliged to do in order to make the best decision.

All right,

number five on our list in seven ways to use might in English is to pose

questions.

This is particularly effective when you're brainstorming strategies or

solutions to challenges.

The word might is used in a question form to kickstart conversation.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

How might we reduce our expenses by asking that question?

I'm opening up the conversation to ideas from others. Again,

we're just brainstorming. We're not committing to a solution.

We're opening it up for conversation and discussing possible solutions.

Similarly,

we could say what might be the best solution for handling this client.

In addition to kick-starting brainstorming discussions,

we can also use might in questions that ask for permission.

Might I interrupt you for a moment?

Might this be the solution that we're looking for? And lastly,

it can be used to ask questions when you're not really sure how someone

else will respond.

You're inviting them to consider an idea. For example,

I was wondering if you might be interested in joining the team in that example,

I'm not really sure how the other person might respond.

So I'm inviting them into that idea and asking

them to consider it.

The sixth way that we can use might is to indicate frustration or even

sarcasm, which is always something to be very careful with.

By using the word might with falling intonation,

we indicate negative emotions.

Consider how English speakers use the word really to indicate

curiosity. Really? Wow, that's so interesting. Really?

You notice my intonation is going up to indicate interest and

curiosity,

but I can use that same word with falling intonation and it

completely changes the feeling and the meaning of that word.

Imagine that you're telling me a story about your vacation and I go really?

Do I sound curious and interested to you or do I sound like

I don't really believe you?

That falling intonation indicates a negative response.

We can do the same thing with the word might,

let's say that you're trying to schedule an appointment with a doctor,

but the doctor's office keeps giving you the runaround.

In the process of that conversation, you might say something like, well,

what time might that be? Do you notice that falling into a nation?

What time might that be by using that falling intonation?

I'm indicating a level of frustration. I'm frustrated with this conversation.

I'm annoyed that you can't commit to giving me a doctor's appointment or

finding a time to schedule with me.

Just that falling intonation with the combination of might expresses that.

And finally,

the last way to use my on our list today is to create a conditional.

Now conditional sentences can be rather frustrating. We have the zero first,

second, and third conditionals in English.

If you want to learn more about those, I've got lessons on all of those forms,

but let's look at how you can advance your use of conditionals by

using might. I might've passed the bar exam.

If I had studied more.

There are two things I want to look at with that sentence. Number one,

let's look at how we're using might to form a conditional we're expressing that

something has or had the possibility of occurring

based on another event,

passing the bar exam was possible.

If I had studied more. Now,

the second thing I want to pay attention to is the pronunciation of,

I might've.

Might've I'm using the contracted form of might

and have. I might've passed the bar exam,

give that a try.

Using contractions can be challenging because we're never really sure how to

pronounce them. So repeat it after me. Might've

might've I might've passed the exam.

Now, before I give you a couple more examples,

if you want to learn more about contractions and get practice with

pronunciation, I've got a lesson on that. And again,

I'll leave a link to it in the notes below the video.

And now let's take a look at our final two examples to talk about creating a

conditional. If she stops showing up late to work,

she might not get fired. The event might not have been a success,

had you not found a venue at the very last moment.

And with that, you have seven different ways to use the word might

accurately in English. Now, before you go,

I've got a challenge quiz for you. I have three different questions,

all of which use might in a different way,

and I want you to respond using might correctly.

Let's give it a try question. Number one,

what might you be doing if you hadn't pursued a career

in your present field question? Number two,

the pandemic has been an eye-opening experience to say the least.

How might someone best manage stress and maintain good mental health?

And number three,

why might someone choose to learn English online instead of in a physical

classroom? If you found today's Confident English lesson useful to you,

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Thank you so much for joining me. And I look forward to seeing you next time.