Can You Use 'Maybe' and 'Will' Together?
2021-08-14
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1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Arslan in Kashmir. He asks:
2Is it correct to use "may" and "will" in a single sentence like in "Maybe it will rain today"?
3The word "may" suggests a possibility while "will" shows certainty. Thank you. -Arslan, Kashmir
4Hello Arslan, this is a good question. Here is the answer:
5The word "maybe" is an adverb that means possibly but not definitely.
6It expresses that an action has a chance of happening in the future, as in your example: "Maybe it will rain today."
7"May" and "maybe" are closely connected but they are different parts of speech.
8The word "may" is a modal verb.
9"Will" is also a modal verb. It expresses that something is expected to happen in the future.
10You were right to question the use of two modal verbs together.
11For example, you would not want to say, "It may will rain today."
12But again, "maybe" is an adverb, not a modal.
13So saying, "Maybe it will rain today" is totally acceptable.
14Another example that uses both "maybe" and "will" is "Maybe my friends will visit."
15Keep in mind that using the modal "may" or "might" is a more common way to express these kinds of possibilities.
16For instance, you can say, "It may rain today" or "My friends might visit."
17And lastly, there is another meaning of "will" that does express certainty.
18For example, if I say, "You will really enjoy this lesson," it shows that I feel sure of it.
19And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
20I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Arslan in Kashmir. He asks: 2Question: 3Is it correct to use "may" and "will" in a single sentence like in "Maybe it will rain today"? The word "may" suggests a possibility while "will" shows certainty. Thank you. -Arslan, Kashmir 4Answer: 5Hello Arslan, this is a good question. Here is the answer: 6The word "maybe" is an adverb that means possibly but not definitely. It expresses that an action has a chance of happening in the future, as in your example: "Maybe it will rain today." 7"May" and "maybe" are closely connected but they are different parts of speech. The word "may" is a modal verb. 8"Will" is also a modal verb. It expresses that something is expected to happen in the future. 9You were right to question the use of two modal verbs together. For example, you would not want to say, "It may will rain today." 10But again, "maybe" is an adverb, not a modal. So saying, "Maybe it will rain today" is totally acceptable. Another example that uses both "maybe" and "will" is "Maybe my friends will visit." 11Keep in mind that using the modal "may" or "might" is a more common way to express these kinds of possibilities. For instance, you can say, "It may rain today" or "My friends might visit." 12And lastly, there is another meaning of "will" that does express certainty. For example, if I say, "You will really enjoy this lesson," it shows that I feel sure of it. 13And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 14I'm Alice Bryant. 15Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 16______________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18certainty - n. the state of feeling sure or not having any doubt about something 19modal - n. a verb that is used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission 20lesson - n. an activity that you do in order to learn something