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PreciousJones Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

AIDS

Talking about a cure for AIDS. I say:

They may find a cure in the future. Or

They might find a cure in the future.

Which one should I use? I thought it was might at first because of the uncertainty of the cure, but was told otherwise. Thank you!
  

Top answer

The two are often interchangeable. Sometimes, though, might indicates a lower probability, so I would use might in the sentence. After all, the statement of discovering a cure for such a disease is a bold one.

— RandomGuy

  • The two are often interchangeable.
  • Sometimes, though, might indicates a lower probability, so I would use might in the sentence.
  • After all, the statement of discovering a cure for such a disease is a bold one.
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13 Answers
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The two are often interchangeable. Sometimes, though, might indicates a lower probability, so I would use might in the sentence. After all, the statement of discovering a cure for such a disease is a bold one.
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Hi Aspara Gus,

Are you a native speaker? Because I just asked a native speaking english teacher the same question and she said that it's may, because might is the past tense of may. So, it should be:

They may find a cure for AIDS.
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Yes, might is used for the past, but not in that sense. "Might" for past "may" went out with swordfighting around here: "She was told before dinner that she might not have dessert if she didn't eat her vegetables", meaning she would not be allowed to have dessert.

There is little distinction between "may" and "might" in simple declarations of uncertainty. "He may/might be a real blond." "
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PreciousJonesAre you a native speaker?
Yes, I believe you've asked me this once before. Although I am not a teacher, I have been speaking English for 20 years, and I can assure you with utmost confidence that the teacher who advised you was wrong. Yes, might is the past tense of may, but here is what the woman did not tell you (and probably didn'
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Thank you again. And I apologize for asking you the same question again. Have a good weekend.
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PreciousJonesWhich one should I use?
In the U.S. may and might are virtually synonymous, so it doesn't really matter which you use. 'may' is a little more formal, though, so it occurs more often in academic journals and newspapers. 'might' is more likely to occur in ordinary conversation. But note that both are used in all kinds of speech and
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Hi all,

I was taught that the difference between 'may' and 'might' in possibility sense was:

The chance for may is higher (50%)
The chance for might is lower(30%)

Would someone confirm if this is correct?

Thanks
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tinanam0102I was taught that the difference between 'may' and 'might' in possibility sense was:

The chance for may is higher (50%)
The chance for might is lower(30%)

Would someone confirm if this is correct?
In my opinion this is total nonsense and should be forgotten as soon as possible. Remarks like this are the source of a great deal
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tinanam0102I was taught that the difference between 'may' and 'might' in possibility sense was:
The chance for may is higher (50%)
The chance for might is lower(30%)
Would someone confirm if this is correct?
No, it's nonsense. I'm willing to bet that very few people go by this "rule", and even fewer know about it.
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Hi friends,

Thanks for telling me. I have to struggle when I decide which to use in terms of percentage.

This part is excerpted from notes from my teacher in high school.

'Might is normally a little unsure than may. Could is normally less sure than may or might.' And you know the rest of it about percentage.

TN
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