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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Using 'well'

Upon hearing someone knocking at the door, would a native speaker say eg,

"That may be Mike."

or

"That may well be Mike."

and in what situation 'well' is appropriate?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Those are both possible. "well" implies a greater level of confidence that it is Mike. Some people might say "That might be Mike" instead.

— GPY

  • Those are both possible.
  • "well" implies a greater level of confidence that it is Mike.
  • Some people might say "That might be Mike" instead.
  • The question of the difference (if any) between "may" and "might" is a perennial favourite.
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9 Answers
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Those are both possible. "well" implies a greater level of confidence that it is Mike.

Some people might say "That might be Mike" instead. The question of the difference (if any) between "may" and "might" is a perennial favourite.
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AnonymousUpon hearing someone knocking at the door, would a native speaker say ...
I bet that's Mike.
I'll bet that's Mike.
That's probably Mike.
That's going to be (gonna be) Mike.
That's got to be (gotta be) Mike.

That's Mike.

(AmE)

CJ
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CalifJimI bet that's Mike. I'll bet that's Mike. That's probably Mike. That's going to be (gonna be) Mike. That's got to be (gotta be) Mike.
For me, these are all stronger (more probable) than "That may be Mike".
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GPYThose are both possible. "well" implies a greater level of confidence that it is Mike.Some people might say "That might be Mike" instead. The question of the difference (if any) between "may" and "might" is a perennial favourite.
And of course there is also "That could be Mike", which expresses a similar confidence level.
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GPYFor me, these are all stronger (more probable) than "That may be Mike".
I suppose we might extrapolate that to an observation about national character. I don't know. In any case those are, I believe, what we would actually say in that situation, not those suggested by the OP.

CJ
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CalifJimI suppose we might extrapolate that to an observation about national character. I don't know. In any case those are, I believe, what we would actually say in that situation, not those suggested by the OP.
So do you not use "That may/might be Mike" at all in the US? In the UK these would be normal. How about "That could be Mike"?
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GPYSo do you not use "That may/might be Mike" at all in the US?
Well, you've got me on the "at all" part. I imagine some people use those, but they sound a bit formal for our lot, especially with "may". As for "may well be", Gads! That's almost un-Amurickin! (I'm exaggerating.)
GPYHow about "That could be Mike"?
That sou
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CalifJimWell, you've got me on the "at all" part. I imagine some people use those, but they sound a bit formal for our lot, especially with "may". As for "may well be", Gads! That's almost un-Amurickin! (I'm exaggerating.)
In BrE "may" would also be seen by most people, I think, as more formal than "might", but not so much that it would jar in everyday convers
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GPYI think "might" would be more common, and "could" more common still.
Your instincts are correct if Mrs Google is to be believed. Apparently both AmE and BrE have had periods where "might" ruled supreme, but "could" has overtaken "might" in (surprisingly) recent years.

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