0
Park sang joon Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Come when you may,
1. Come when you may, you are welcome.
I'd like to know I can see "Come when you may," either as a concessive clause or as an imperative sentence.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I'd like to know I can see "Come when you may," either as a concessive clause or as an imperative sentence.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
Neither. "Come when you may" means "whenever you arrive," so it's an adverbial temporal clause: it says when you'll be welcome. "
- Neither.
- "Come when you may" means "whenever you arrive," so it's an adverbial temporal clause: it says when you'll be welcome.
- "
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
13 Answers
0
Neither. "Come when you may" means "whenever you arrive," so it's an adverbial temporal clause: it says when you'll be welcome.
The sentence "Come when you may." is an imperative, although an exceedingly polite one, meaning: "You must come but you may choose the time." A concessive clause allows for some contradiction to the main clause: "Although you may not wish to, come anyway."
The sentence "Come when you may." is an imperative, although an exceedingly polite one, meaning: "You must come but you may choose the time." A concessive clause allows for some contradiction to the main clause: "Although you may not wish to, come anyway."
00
Thank you, deadrat, for your very helpful answer. 
I'd also like to know what "may" means in my example.
I'd also like to know what "may" means in my example.
00
"May" here has the meaning of "whenever it might happen" so "Come when you may" means "Whenever you happen to show up."
00
Thank you, deadrat, for your continuing support; I'd like to ask you one more question
2. Say what you will, no one
2. Say what you will, no one
00
I'm going to say that #2 is a concessive clause. The most common of these is introduced by words like "although" and "even if," but the defining characteristic of such a clause is that it presents some opposition to the idea of the main clause. It's called "concessive" because it concedes a possible error in, exception to, or difference from the claim of the main clause. Here you're the excepti
00
I'm so sorry but I'd like to ask you the last.
1. Come when you may, you are welcome.
2. Say what you will, no one
1. Come when you may, you are welcome.
2. Say what you will, no one
00
No need for apologies. There is no limit on the number of your questions. My answers may be limited by fatigue.
I'd say you can interchange them, and it's unlikely a native speaker would misunderstand you or even notice.
To me, "may" has the connotation of happenstance. "Will" (and "might") have a future sense of intention.
"Come when you may" = "Whenever it happens t
I'd say you can interchange them, and it's unlikely a native speaker would misunderstand you or even notice.
To me, "may" has the connotation of happenstance. "Will" (and "might") have a future sense of intention.
"Come when you may" = "Whenever it happens t
00
I think you are weary, and I don't want to badger you anymore tonight, so I will ask you what I'd like to question tomorrow.
Have a good night deadrat.
Have a good night deadrat.
00
Thank you, deadrat, for your generosity.
I think "whtever" has no intetion in the following.
3. Whatever may come, I wi
I think "whtever" has no intetion in the following.
3. Whatever may come, I wi
00
Yes, certainly. Since "whatever" says that you don't know what's coming, you can't know whether it's something that can have intentions. Either #3 or #4 will work.
0
Related Questions