May and Might: Possibility and Tag Questions
Unit 3: May and Might
Use may or might to show a possibility in the present or future.
- She may be at home.
- I might start a catering business.
The negative of may is may not. The negative of might is might not.
- They may not come to dinner.
- We might not eat out tonight.
Tip: May and might don’t use “-s” in the third person singular. Don’t use “to” immediately after may or might; use the base form.
Tag Questions
We often use tag questions after statements when we think we know the answer to a question. They mean, “Isn’t that true?” or “Right?” Tag questions are the same tense as the statement.
- You live in Winnipeg (statement), don’t you? (tag question) (simple present)
- You haven’t met my daughter, (statement), have you? (tag question) (present perfect)
- You are coming to dinner tonight (statement), aren’t you? (tag questions) (present continuous)
- You didn’t go there (statement), did you? (tag question) (simple past)
If the statement is affirmative, the tag is negative. If the statement is negative, the tag is affirmative.
You live in Bellevue, don’t you? Yes, I do.
Conversation
A: What do you do?
B: I have a catering business.
A: How did you first get into that?
B: Well, cooking was my hobby. And one thing led to another. What about you?
A: I am a full-time mom.
B: That is great. How many kids do you have?
A: Two.
A graphic designer, a full-time mom or dad, a financial adviser, a restaurant manager, a magician.
Conversation
A: How is that new Indian restaurant?
B: So-so. The food is OK, but the service is lousy. If you like Indian food, why don’t you try Delhi Gardens? It is a lot better.
A: That is next to the movie theater, isn’t it?
B: Yes. You can’t miss it.
Vocabulary
- A meal: A meal is food prepared for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Most people eat three meals a day.
- A course: A course is a part of a meal. This dinner has three courses: soup, a main dish, and dessert.
- An appetizer: An appetizer is a small course that begins some meals. My favorite appetizer is soup.
- An entree: “Entree” is another name for “main dish” or “main course”. Chicken is a common entree.
- A reservation: A reservation is a promise from a restaurant to save you a table at a specific time. We called for a reservation, but the restaurant was full.
- A tip: A tip is money for the waiter or waitress to show satisfaction with his or her service. We left the waiter a big tip because he did his job very well.
- Fast food: Fast food is food that is prepared and served quickly and informally, usually in a self-service restaurant (sometimes called a fast-food restaurant). I didn’t have much time for lunch, so I just went out for fast food.
- Junk food: Junk food is food that may taste good but isn’t very good for your health. If I eat too much junk food, I don’t feel well.
- Gain weight: Someone who has gained weight weighs more now than in the past. I am not going to eat dessert because I don’t want to gain weight.
- Lose weight: Someone who has lost weight weighs less now than in the past. If you eat less food than your body needs, you will lose weight.
- Nutritious: Nutritious food is food that is good for your health. Spinach is a nutritious vegetable.