Hints: May, May be or Maybe?
Is it the month after April or is it a grammar word? Do they mean the same thing? Do they have words that mean the same thing (synonyms). Can we use them when speaking and/or writing?
When you are not sure whether to use it as one word (may), two words (may be), or two words combined into one word (maybe), you might need to brush up on the grammar of modal verbs.
Visit this site to revise them.
Maybe, two words combined into one (called compound words), is an adverb meaning “perhaps” or “possibly.”
May be is a verb phrase meaning “might be” or “could be.”
Examples:
Maybe I will go out tonight. – INFORMAL – I DON’T REALLY KNOW. WE’LL SEE.
I may be going out tonight. – A LITTLE MORE FORMAL. I HAVE A PLAN BUT IT’S NOT BEEN CONFIRMED YET.
OR
I may go out tonight – QUITE A BIT MORE FORMAL. – IS THERE A PLAN FOR TONIGHT? I’LL DECIDE TONIGHT.
So, let’s go over that one more time.
“Maybe” is an adverb meaning “perhaps,” so if you are uncertain whether to use this word or the phrase “may be,” try substituting “perhaps”: “Maybe she forgot I said I’d meet her at six o’clock” becomes “Perhaps she forgot. . . .” When the substitution makes sense, go with one word: “maybe.”
When you are wondering whether you may be waiting in the wrong cafe, you’re dealing with a verb and its auxiliary: “may be.” Two words.
See you soon,
Grammmar Girl
