Monthly Archives: June 2013

Ya Might’ve Said You May!

Did you know that there is a difference between might and may? It’s straightforward enough: might is the past tense of may.

I may go home soon. (present)

I might have gone home sooner if the beer hadn’t been so good. (past)

Easy enough, right? But sometimes I’ve been unsure about which word to use. Do I always have to use may for the present tense? It seems mighty formal, after all. Who says, I may do such-and-such? Often we say, I might do it.

Here’s a fab blog post that clears things up. The post claims that may and might can often be used interchangeably for the present or past, and certainly that does seem to be the case with today’s relaxed English. However, there are some instances when might is best:

1. when something didn’t happen, or it’s hypothetical

He received a second place ribbon, but he might have won if the judge were more professional.

2. when showing annoyance

You might have told me!

3. when making a polite, formal request

Might I show her Majesty to the water closet?

May is best for expressing a wish: May you live long and prosper!

Serena Williams, The Assailants, Their Victim, and Her Drinking

Ms. Williams got herself in hot water with the media this week when she suggested that getting drunk at a party might not be the best idea. She was commenting on a US court case that ended with two football players being sentenced to detention for raping a teenage girl at a house party. AfterContinue Reading

The Incomparable Lionel Shriver

Yesterday was the pub date for Shriver’s new novel, Big Brother. I went straight to the store and bought it. What a pleasure to be back in the presence of her insightful writing. A dozen pages in, she conveys so many ideas to which I find myself nodding my head in recognition and agreement, andContinue Reading

The Cold, Cold Call

I’m getting better at tailoring my resumé for specific companies and sending it out, but career counsellors still push the cold call. When you’re an introvert, the cold call is chilly indeed. I said last week that I would make my first cold call by Friday; it’s now Wednesday. The Wednesday after. I attempted toContinue Reading

Book is Dead

I’m reading Amanda Lang‘s Power of Why. It’s about letting go of preconceived notions, so that we can solve problems effectively. It occurred to me that anyone holding on to the old model of print books is not harnessing the power of why. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: book, like God,Continue Reading

Copy Editor vs. Copyeditor

Like every good Canadian editor, I keep the Canadian Oxford Dictionary at hand to confirm spellings and definitions, and the COD spells my profession as copy editor. Ironically, everywhere I look, this term is spelled inconsistently — sometimes as one word and sometimes as two. The Chicago Manual of Style uses copyeditor, and thus soContinue Reading