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Rizan Malik Posted 6 years ago
Grammar
A vegetarian diet may not ...
Consider these definitions of "may", given in https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/may
Definition 3: You use may to indicate that something is sometimes true or is true in some circumstances.
a) A vegetarian diet may not provide enough calories for a child's normal growth. b) Up to five inches of snow may cover the mountains. c) ...families that may have both parents working. Definition 6: You use may when you are mentioning a quality or fact about something that people can make use of if they want to.d) The bag has narrow straps, so it may be worn over the shoulder or carried in the hand. e) Some of the diseases of middle age may be prevented by improving nutrition. My questions are:1) Are these usages of "may" common in speech and in writing?2) Could we use "can" in place of "may" in all the examples under definitions 3 and 6 except example a)?Top answer
Rizan Malik Could we use "can" in place of "may" in all the examples under definitions 3 and 6 except example a)? There's no problem doing that in d) and e), but it sounds a little strange in b) and a little more strange in c). CJ
- Rizan Malik Could we use "can" in place of "may" in all the examples under definitions 3 and 6 except example a)?
- There's no problem doing that in d) and e), but it sounds a little strange in b) and a little more strange in c).
- CJ
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1 Answers
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Rizan MalikCould we use "can" in place of "may" in all the examples under definitions 3 and 6 except example a)?
There's no problem doing that in d) and e), but it sounds a little strange in b) and a little more strange in c).
CJ
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