2022-01-07 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set - C – Can & may & might

Revision C

2022-01-07

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set -  C – Can & may & might 

แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น 

ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

 

Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง can = “KAN; unstressed KUHN”

 ออกเสียง may = “MEY”

ออกเสียง might = “MAHYT”

 

Dictionary.com

USAGE NOTE FOR CAN

Can but and cannot but 

are formal and now somewhat old-fashioned expressions 

suggesting that there is no possible alternative to doing something. 

Can but is equivalent to can only: 

We can but do our best. 

Cannot but is the equivalent of cannot help but: 

We cannot but protest against these injustices. 

See also help.

 

Dictionary.com

WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH CAN

Can and may are frequently but not always interchangeable 

in senses indicating possibility: 

A power failure can (or may ) occur at any time. 

 

Despite the insistence by some, 

that can meansonly “to be able” 

and may means“to be permitted,” 

both are regularly used in seeking or granting permission: 

Can (or May ) I borrow your tape recorder? 

You can (or may ) use it tomorrow. 

 

Sentences using can occur chiefly in spoken English. 

May in this sense occurs more frequently in formal contexts: 

May I address the court, Your Honor? 

 

In negative constructions, 

can't or cannot is more common than may not : 

You can't have it today. I need it myself. 

The contraction mayn't is rare.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Can vs. May: Usage Guide

Verb

Can and may are most frequently interchangeable 

in uses denoting possibility; 

because the possibility of one's doing something 

may depend on another's acquiescence, 

they have also become interchangeable in the sense denoting permission.

 

The use of can to ask or grant permission 

has been common since the 19th century 

and is well established, 

although some commentators feel 

may is more appropriate in formal contexts. 

May is relatively rare in negative constructions

(mayn't is not common); 

cannot and can't are usual in such contexts.

 

Dictionary.com

May

USAGE FOR MAY

It was formerly considered correct 

to use may rather than can when referring to permission 

as in: you may use the laboratory for your experiments,

but this use of may is now almost entirely restricted to polite questions such as: 

may I open the window? 

 

The use of may with if in constructions such as: 

your analysis may have been more credible if … 

is generally regarded as incorrect, might being preferred: 

your analysis might have been more credible if …

 

Dictionary.com

Other Ways To Say “To Whom It May Concern”

Published October 7, 2020

It’s frustrating to hit a stumbling block right at the beginning. 

And yet, every time we start to write a letter, 

we’re faced with a tricky question at the very start

—how do we address the recipient?

 

Is it someone we know well (Mom will do just fine for you-know-who)? 

Is it someone we know professionally? 

Or—cue the horror music!

—is it some unidentified person who’ll be reviewing our application, request, or materials?

We know you’re tensing up just thinking about it. 

One classic choice (as we no doubt know) is To Whom It May Concern. 

But are you using this phrase correctly? 

It sounds so outdated—is it still in use? And are there any alternatives?

 

Where does the phrase come from?

To Whom It May Concern is used in formal letters, 

when the name of the person you are addressing is not known. 

It can also be found as the salutation at the start of open letters, or 

a letter meant to be read by a wide variety of people.

 

It is thought To Whom It May Concern 

entered common usage in the late 1800s. 

There are examples in letters from this period by both Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth.

 

The correct way to use To Whom It May Concern

Each word in the phrase To Whom It May Concern 

should be capitalized. 

Since it’s a formal greeting, 

it should be followed by a colon in a letter.

For example:

To Whom It May Concern:

I wholeheartedly recommend Jo March, who has been working as a paralegal at our company, for employment.

 

In case you’re wondering, 

if you’re writing an open letter of reference for someone 

(and it will be distributed to multiple interviewers), 

you would use To Whom It May Concern. 

 

“Who” vs. “whom”?

We’ve all come across pedants who love to correct people 

when they use who and whom. So what is the correct choice?

 

Who is used as the subject of a sentence, 

while whom is used as the object in a sentence.

 

This means that if someone is performing actions in a sentence, 

who is the correct choice.

• Who ate my cookie?
• I don’t know who hid it.

 

To check, see if the sentence still makes sense 

when you replace who with he or she 

(you might need to reword it slightly).

 

Whom is used for someone being acted on. 

See if you can replace it in your sentence 

(with a little jiggling) with her or him.

• Whom did you wave at?
• Her husband, whom she wrote to every day, missed her terribly.

So it is correct to say to whom it may concern 

because it concerns her, not she.

 

Is To Whom It May Concern outdated?

We are living in the age of information, 

and generally job-hunting experts do not recommend using 

To Whom It May Concern if you’re addressing a single person. 

It shows a lack of effort on behalf of the applicant. 

 

Between the company’s website 

and all the social networking platforms available, 

it shouldn’t be hard to track down 

the name of the person or department that you need.

 

So, what are the alternatives?

Dear

Dear, followed by the recipient’s full name, 

is another standard greeting for formal letters.

If you don’t know a recipient’s name, 

you can use a combination of dear 

and a department or team, or one person’s specific title. 

For example, 

if you don’t know have any details about 

who would be your boss in an application letter, 

you might consider addressing the entire team 

(marketing department, sales team, accounting and finance, etc.) or 

the recruiting manager.

 

As a word meaning “beloved,” dear dates back to the year 900. 

It is derived from the Old English d?ore. 

One of the first written examples of its use can be found in 1450 

in a note from Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI. 

During the 1600s, people began using it in formal correspondence 

and not just letters addressed to the beloved.

 

Hello

In all likelihood, these days you’re more likely to be sending an email 

rather than a letter, even for a job application. 

Depending on the company, 

you could consider using Hello instead of dear.

If they have a relaxed workplace culture or 

you already have a relationship with the addressee, 

this might be appropriate. 

You can pair hello with the recipient’s name or use it on its own. 

Hello all may also work in some contexts.

 

Hello as a greeting is a relatively new word.  

It comes from hallo, which in turn is from the Middle French hola 

(which is equivalent to ho “ahoy” and la “there”). 

Hallo was used to attract attention or to spur on hunting dogs. 

Hello was used in the UK as an exclamation of surprise and intrigue 

as in “hello, what’s this?”

 

When the telephone was invented, 

Alexander Graham Bell wanted people to use the word ahoy as a greeting. 

Supposedly his rival Thomas Edison suggested hello, 

while Bell stubbornly stuck to ahoy, and well—you know which one stuck around.

 

Greetings

The word greetings dates back to before 900 and 

stems from the Old English word gretinge. 

This is a recommended salutation for processional emails. 

It’s gender neutral, and it’s a bit more formal than a plain hello.

 

What’s up?

Perhaps best reserved for the most casual of letters, 

what’s up does work to open a written message 

without having to use someone’s name. 

 

Asking people what was “up” 

began earlier than you think. 

Before becoming popular slang 

(and even before Bugs Bunny used it in the 1940s), 

it appears in texts from the 1800s. 

Despite its historical lineage, it would be unwise 

to use this phrase in a job application. 

(Unless perhaps you’re looking for a role at a certain beer brand.)

 

Signing off

After agonizing over the opening, the hard work is done … 

except for the entirety of the rest of the letter. 

If the content is strong enough, 

the recipient will forgive you if the salutation you chose wasn’t perfect. 

And at least you have one last chance to impress with your sign off.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Usage Notes

'Can' vs. 'May'

Can you use 'can' or must you use 'may'?

What to Know

Can and may can both be used to ask for permission, 

although "may" is considered more formal. 

"May" is the older word and 

has meanings that refer to the ability to do something, 

the possibility of something, as well as granting permission. 

"Can" first overlapped with the definition of "the ability to do something," 

and later took the "permission" definition as well.

 

We all know the joke (or, rather, “joke”): 

a student raises their hand and asks the teacher 

“Can I go to the bathroom?” 

and the teacher responds, “I don’t know—can you?”

The “joke” here is based on the insistence that 

you should use may when asking for permission to do something,

 and can when speaking about ability. 

By this logic, the student should have said “May I go to the bathroom?” 

since their ability to use the facilities is likely not in question.

But the reality of the situation is that

both can and may have been used historically 

to refer to permission and continue to be used so today. 

How did we end up in this situation?

 

Origin and Meaning of 'May'

May is the earlier verb, showing up in manuscripts from the 8th century. 

It originally referred to having strength or power, 

and then very quickly developed a meaning that referred to ability. 

 

This particular meaning is no longer in current use,

but we find a late representative of this use 

in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales from 1395: 

“We mowen nat...It ouertake, it slit awey so faste” 

(“We may not overtake it, it slid away so fast”). 

May also developed a meaning referring to possibility, 

which we’re still familiar with today 

(“I may be able to have lunch with you this Thursday”), 

and the meaning that schoolteachers insist it has today

–onethat grants permission 

(“You may use the bathroom”). 

All four of these meanings were in use before 1000AD.

 

Overlap with 'Can'

Around that time, can came on the scene. 

It was a verb that originally meant “to know,” 

and then “to know how to do something,” 

and then “to have the ability to do something.” 

This last meaning, which showed up around 1300, 

was can’s first semantic overlap with may. 

The overlap continued: 

by 1500, both can and may were used to refer to ability and possibility.

 

Given that there was already some overlap between the two words, 

it’s not surprising that by the end of the 1800s, 

can also came to mean “to have permission.” 

(If there’s anything surprising in that, 

it’s perhaps that it took so long for can to copy that meaning of may’s.)

 

It didn’t take too long for teachers and grammarians of the day 

to proscribe that can should only be used of ability 

and may of permission. 

 

We find the rule spelled out clearly 

(complete with a fictional student-teacher exchange) 

in Charles Lurie’s 1926 How To Say It: Helpful Hints On English. 

There is no particular reason for the rule, 

except for the fact that may has been used longer 

to mean “to give permission” than can has.

Nonetheless, the “rule” lives on.

 

In reality, 

can likely has more use in the “permission” sense than is recorded, 

as it is more informal 

and so shows up in speech more frequently than may does. 

May is the more formal word, and if you are at all concerned 

about being tut-tutted, a safe choice. 

Can is now the verb of choice for ability, 

and both can and may are still used in the "possibility" sense. 

You may use can if you wish, and 

you can use may if it makes you feel better.

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

CAN

Usage Note: 

Generations of grammarians and teachers have insisted 

that can should be used only to express the capacity to do something, 

and that may must be used to express permission. 

 

But children do not use can to ask permission 

out of a desire to be stubbornly perverse. 

They have learned it as an idiomatic expression from adults: 

After you clean your room, you can go outside and play. 

 

As part of the spoken language, this use of can is perfectly acceptable. 

This is especially true for negative questions, 

such as Can't I have the car tonight? 

probably because using mayn't instead of can't sounds unnatural. 

 

While the distinction between can and may 

still has its adherents in formal usage, the number appears to be falling. 

 

In our 2009 survey, 37 percent of the Usage Panel 

rejected can instead of may in the sentence 

Can I take another week to submit the application? 

But more than half of these said 

can was only "somewhat (rather than completely) unacceptable" in this use,

 and the overall percentage of disapproval fell from more than 50 percent in an earlier survey. 

· The heightened formality of may sometimes 

highlights the speaker's role in giving permission. 

You may leave the room when you are finished 

implies that permission is given by the speaker. 

You can leave the room when you are finished 

implies that permission is part of a rule or policy 

rather than a decision on the speaker's part. 

For this reason, 

may sees considerable use in official announcements: 

Students may pick up the application forms tomorrow. 

· Like may, can is also used to indicate what is possible: 

It may rain this afternoon. 

Bone spurs can be very painful. 

In this use, both can and may often have personal subjects: 

You may see him at the concert. 

Even an experienced driver can get lost in this town.

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

May & Might

Usage Note: 

May or might? 

In many situations, the choice between these two verbs 

can be clarified by remembering that 

might is the past tense form of may, 

and that in English, 

a past tense form is used to refer 

not just to events that occurred in the past (She left yesterday), 

but to hypothetical, counterfactual, or remotely possible situations 

(If you left now, you'd get there on time.) 

Thus, the past tense form might is appropriate in this sentence 

about a future event that is a remote possibility: 

If I won the lottery, I might buy a yacht, 

which contrasts with the present-tense version 

that indicates an open possibility: 

If I win the lottery, I may buy a yacht. 

 

When referring to a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situation in the past, 

rather than an imagined future situation, 

the verbs are shifted to the remote past: 

won becomes had won, and might buy becomes might have bought: 

If I had won the lottery, I might have bought a yacht. 

Since about the 1960s, however, 

people have started using may have where might have 

would be expected (as in, If he hadn't tripped, he may have won the race).

Although this usage is common in casual speech, 

it is considered unacceptable by the majority of the Usage Panel. 

In our 2012 survey, 97 percent of the Usage Panelists 

found the sentence 

If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles might have gotten back together acceptable. 

Only a third of the Panel (32 percent) approved of the same sentence 

with may have replacing might have. 

 

Using may have for a past counterfactual situation 

instead of might have is not only frowned upon by the Panel 

but can also lead to confusion, 

since may have is best suited for a different kind of situation: 

present uncertainty about a past situation. 

 

Keeping the two forms distinct reduces ambiguity. 

He may have drowned, for example, is best used to mean that 

it is unknown whether the man drowned, 

not that the man narrowly escaped drowning. 

· When may and might are used to indicate possibility or probability, 

as in He may lose his job or We might go on vacation next year, 

the two words are used almost interchangeably. 

It is sometimes said that 

might suggests a lower probability than may, 

perhaps because of its use in hypothetical statements 

that omit the conditional clause 

(You might get there on time can be thought of as short for 

If you hurried, you might get there on time). 

In practice, however, few people make this distinction.

 

Our Living Language 

In many Southern US varieties of English, 

might can be paired with other auxiliary verbs such as could, 

as in We might could park over there. 

Words like might and could are known as modals, 

since they express certain "moods" 

(for example, 

I might go indicates an uncertain mood on the part of the speaker). 

Combinations 

such as might could, might would, and might can 

are known as double modals. 

Other less common combinations 

include may can, may will, and might should. 

Since double modals typically begin with may or might, 

they lessen the degree of conviction or certainty 

(much like the word possibly) more than a single modal does. 

Double modals are used, for example, 

to minimize the force of what one is saying, 

as when asking someone for a favor or when indicating displeasure. 

 

· Although double modals may sound odd outside of the South, 

they carry little if any social stigma within the South 

and are used by speakers of all social classes and educational levels

• even in formal instances like political addresses. 

Like many features of Southern varieties of English, 

the use of double modals is probably due to the fact 

that many of the first English speakers in the South were Scotch-Irish, 

whose speech made use of double modals.

 

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions:

Can & may & might

Can suggests mental or physical ability: 

“Jane can sing beautifully when she tries.”

May implies permission or sanction: 

“Babs may borrow my suitcase if she wishes.”

This distinction between can and may is illustrated thus:

“Jim can swim, but his mother says that he may not.”

 

May also expresses possibility and wish (desire):

“It may snow tonight (possibility).”

 

“May you have a good rest this weekend (desire).”

Might is used after a governing verb in the past tense, 

may after such a verb in the present tense:

“She says that we may go.”

“She said that we might go.” 

 

The A-Z of Correct English Common Errors in English Dictionary:

Can or may?

Strictly speaking, 

CAN means ‘being able’ and 

MAY means ‘having permission’. 

It is best to preserve this distinction in formal contexts. 

However, informally, 

CAN is used to cover both meanings: ­ 

“You CAN go now (= are permitted).”

 

Collins COBUILD English Usage:

Can – could – be able to 

These words are used to talk about ability, awareness, and possibility. 

They are also used to say that someone has permission to do something. 

These uses are dealt with separately in this entry. 

Can and could are called modals.

 

Both can and could are followed by an infinitive without to.

I envy people who can sing.

I could work for twelve hours a day.

1. negative forms

The negative form of can is cannot or can't. 

Cannot is never written 'can not'. 

The negative form of could 

is could not or couldn't. 

To form the negative of be able to you either put not or another 

negative word in front of able, or you use the expression be unable to.

Many elderly people cannot afford telephones.

I can't swim very well.

It was so dark you could not see anything.

They couldn't sleep.

We were not able to give any answers.

We were unable to afford the entrance fee.

 

2. ability: the present

Can could, and be able to  are all used 

to talk about a person's ability to do something. 

You use can or be able to talk about ability in the present. 

Be able to is more formal than can.

You can all read and write.

The animals are able to move around, and they can all lie down.

Lisa nodded, unable to speak.

Could is also used to talk about ability in the present, 

but it has a special meaning. 

If you say that someone could do something, 

you mean that they have the ability to do it, 

but they don't in fact do it.

We could do much more in this country to educate people.

 

3. ability: the past

You use could or a past form of be able to to talk about ability in the past.

He could run faster than anyone else.

A lot of them couldn't read or write.

I wasn't able to answer their questions.

 

If you say that someone was able to do something, 

you usually mean that they had the ability to do it 

and they did it. Could does not have this meaning.

After two weeks in bed, he was able to return to work.

The farmers were able to pay their employees' wages.

 

If you want to say that someone had the ability to do something 

but did not in fact do it, you say that they could have done it.

You could have given it all to me.

You could have been a little bit more careful.

 

If you want to say that someone did not do something 

because they did not have the ability to do it, 

you say that they could not have done it.

I couldn't have gone with you, because I was in London at the time.

 

If you want to say that 

someone had the ability to do something in the past, 

although they don't now have this ability, 

you say that they used to be able to do it.

I used to be able to sleep anywhere.

You used to be able to see the house from here.

 

4. ability: the future

You use a future form of be able to to talk about ability in the future.

I shall be able to answer that question tomorrow.

 

5. ability: reporting structures

Could is often used in reporting structures. For example, if a woman says 'I can speak Arabic', you usually report this as 'She said she could speak Arabic'.

She said I could bring it back later.

 

6. ability: 'be able to' after other verbs

Be able to is sometimes used after modals such as might or should, and after verbs such as want, hope, or expect.

I might be able to help you.

You may be able to get extra money.

You should be able to see that from here.

She would not be able to go out alone.

Do you really expect to be able to do that?

Don't use can or could after any other verbs.

 

7. 'being able to'

You can use an -ing form of be able to.

He liked being able to discuss politics with Veronica.

There is no -ing form of can or could.

 

8. awareness

Can and could are used with verbs 

such as see, hear, and smell to say that 

someone is or was aware of something through one of their senses.

I can smell gas.

I can't see her.

I could see a few stars in the sky.

 

9. possibility: the present and the future

Could and can are used to talk about possibility in the present or future.

You use could to say that there is a possibility 

that something is or will be true.

Don't eat it. It could be a toadstool.

He was jailed in February, and could be released next year.

Might and may can be used in a similar way.

It might be a trap.

Kathy's career may be ruined.

See might - may (below)

 

Be Careful!
Don't use 'could not' to say that there is a possibility that 

something is not true. 

Instead you use might not or may not.

It might not be possible.

It may not be easy.

If you want to say that 

it is impossible that something is true, you use cannot or could not.

You cannot possibly know what damage you caused.

It couldn't possibly be true.

You use can to say that something is sometimes possible.

Sudden changes can sometimes have a negative effect.

 

10. possibility: the past

You use could have to say that there is a possibility 

that something was true in the past.

He could have been in the house on his own.

Might have and may have can be used in a similar way.

She might have found the information online.

It may have been a dead bird.

You also use could have to say that there was 

a possibility of something being true in the past, 

although it was not in fact true.

It could have been worse.

He could have made a fortune as a lawyer.

 

Be Careful!
Don't use 'could not have' to say that there is a possibility 

that something was not true. 

Instead you use might not have or may not have.

She might not have known the password.

 

If you want to say that it is impossible that something was true, 

you use could not have.

The decision couldn't have been easy.

The man couldn't have seen us at all.

 

11. permission

Can and could are used to say that someone is allowed to do something.

You can take out money at any branch of your own bank.

He could come and use my computer.

Cannot and could not are used to say that 

someone is or was forbidden to do something.

You can't bring strangers in here.

Her dad said she couldn't go out during the week.

 

Collins COBUILD English Usage 

Might – may

Might and may are used mainly to talk about possibility. 

They can also be used to make a request, to ask permission, 

or to make a suggestion. 

When might and may are used 

with the same meaning, may is more formal than might. 

Might and may are called modals.

 

In conversation, 

the negative form mightn't is often used instead of 'might not'. 

The form mayn't is much less common. 

People usually use the full form may not.

He mightn't have time to see you.

It may not be as hard as you think.

 

1. possibility: the present and the future

You can use might or may to say that 

it is possible that something is true 

or that something will happen in the future.

I might see you at the party.

This may be why she enjoys her work.

You can use could in a similar way, but only in positive sentences.

Don't eat it. It could be poisonous.

See can - could - be able to

 

You can use might well or may well 

to show that it is fairly likely that something is true.

You might well be right.

I think that may well be the last time we see him.

You use might not or may not 

to say that it is possible that something is not true.

He might not like spicy food.

That may not be the reason she left.

 

Be Careful!
Don't use 'might not' or 'may not' to say that 

it is impossible that something is true. 

Instead you use could not, cannot, or can't.

She could not have known what happened unless she was there.

He cannot be younger than me.

You can't talk to the dead.

 

Be Careful!
Don't use 'may' when you are asking if something is possible. 

Don't say, for example, 'May he be right?' 

Say 'Might he be right?' or, more usually, 'Could he be right?'

Might we have got the date wrong?

Could this be true?

 

Be Careful!
Don't say 'What may happen?' 

You usually say 'What is likely to happen?'

What are likely to be the effects of these changes?

 

2. possibility: the past

You use might or may with have 

to say that it is possible that something happened in the past, 

but you do not know whether it happened or not.

Jorge didn't play well. He might have been feeling tired.

I may have been a little unfair to you.

Could have can be used in a similar way.

It could have been one of the staff that stole the money.

 

Be Careful!
However, if something did not happen and you want to say that 

there was a possibility of it happening, 

you can only use might have or could have. 

Don't use 'may have'. 

For example, you say 'If he hadn't fallen, he might have won the race'. 

Don't say 'If he hadn't hurt his ankle, he may have won the race'.

A lot of men died who might have been saved.

You use might not or may not with have to say 

that it is possible that something did not happen or was not true.

They might not have got your message.

Her parents may not have realized what she was doing.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'might not have' or 'may not have' 

to say that it is impossible that something happened or was true. 

Instead you use could not have or, 

in British English, cannot have.

They could not have guessed what was going to happen.

The measurement can't have been wrong.

 

3. requests and permission

In formal English, 

may and might are sometimes used 

for making a request, or asking or giving permission.

Might I ask a question?

You may leave the table.

 

4. suggestions

Might is often used in polite suggestions.

You might like to read this and see what you think.

I think it might be better to switch off your phones.