Word order - Maybe and be

Question

He saw something that maybe was a ghost.  He saw something that was maybe a ghost.  It was maybe a ghost.  It maybe was a ghost.  Are all these ok? Any difference in meaning?

Taiwandave · Accepted Answer

All of your sentences are correct. The choice of where to position the "maybe" is one of style rather than grammatical necessity.

If style is what you'd like to improve on, I would suggest getting rid of the "was...maybe" structure altogether:

He saw something that may have been a ghost.
It may have been a ghost.

Note that "maybe" is an adverb. It means "perhaps". In the above, I've switched to using the modal verb "may" plus "have been", which is the perfect infinitive of the verb "be".

We often use a modal verb plus a perfect infinitive to speculate about the past, draw conclusions about the past, or when talking about the unreal past. Here are some more examples:

He had to have been there. (speculation about the past)
It couldn't have worked. (conclusion about the past)
You should have tried the fish. (unreal past)

It's worth noting that many people, including native speakers, confuse "maybe" and "may be". For example:

The typhoon may be here tomorrow. (correct)
The typhoon maybe here tomorrow. (wrong)
Maybe the typhoon will be here tomorrow. (correct)

In the first sentence, "may" is a modal auxiliary. It is followed by the bare present infinitive of the main verb, which is "be".

In the third sentence, "maybe" is an adjective meaning "perhaps". We could just as easily say:

Perhaps the typhoon will be here tomorrow.

So, the best test of which is correct in a given sentence, "maybe" or "may be", is to try substituting "perhaps". If the sentence still makes sense and retains the original meaning, then "maybe" is correct.

Word order - Maybe and be

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