(mīt)
aux.v. Past tense of may may a. Used to indicate a condition or state contrary to fact: She might help if she knew the truth.
b. Used to indicate a possibility or probability that is weaker than may: We might discover a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
- Used to express possibility or probability or permission in the past: She told him yesterday he might not go on the trip.
- Used to express a higher degree of deference or politeness than may, ought, or should: Might I express my opinion?
Our Living Language In many Southern U.S. 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. This feature has been noted as far back as the Middle English period, but today's most common forms were not used to any great extent until the mid-18th century. They are surprisingly rare in dialect fiction but do occasionally occur, as in
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson:
“Jumper's liable to throw a fit with that hide rattling along behind him, and you might not can hold him by yourself.”