GRAMMAR EXERCISES. III. May (might)[1] (in the meaning of uncertain supposition, reproach)

III. May (might) [1] (in the meaning of uncertain supposition, reproach)

Ex. 18. Study the meaning of the verb "may (might)" and the tense relations expressed by the forms of the infinitive.

uncertain supposition	1. He may (might) be at home for all I know. 2. You may (might) like the place, who knows? 3. I've got to go. My friend may (might) be holding a taxi. 4. The telegram may[2] (not) have reached them.	1. Может быть он дома, отку­да мне знать. 2. Может быть (возможно) вам и понравится то место, как знать? 3. Мне нужно идти. Мой друг, возможно, держит такси. 4. Может быть телеграмма (не) дошла до них.
reproach	5. You might be more polite to her. 6. You might have let me know that the meeting was put off. Why didn't you? 7. Why did you sit in the draught? You might have caught a cold.	5. Вы могли быбыть с ней по­вежливее. 6. Вы могли бы предупредитьменя, что собрание отложено. Почему вы не сделали этого? 7. Зачем вы сидели на сквоз­няке? Вы могли бы просту­диться

Ex. 19. Watch the meaning of the verb "may (might)", translate the sentences into Russian.

1. (a) She may work in my room. She won't disturb me. (b) She may be working in my room. She likes it. 2. (a) You may not keep library books more than a fortnight, (b) You may not know that she needs your help badly. 3. (a) He may have visited her, for all I know. (b) He might have visited her. He knew she was ill. 4. (a) You needn't worry. She may arrive yet. (b) You needn't worry. She may have arrived already. 5. (a) He may have mentioned this, but I don't remember, (b) He might have mentioned this to her, why didn't he? 6. (a) You may come early. I don't mind. (b) You might come earlier. Why are you always late? 7. (a) If you do your shopping on the way to the station you may miss the train, (b) Your shopping trip to town at the last moment was not a very clever thing to do. You might have missed the train home.

 

Ex. 20. Open the brackets using the correct form of the infinitive. Trans­late the sentences into Russian.

1. He may... a lot of experience but he is not easy to deal with (to have). 2. We had better drop the subject. She may not... over the shock yet (to get). 3. He may still... about the offer, you should help him to make a decision (to hesitate). 4. You might... he did not want to speak to you (to guess). 5. He may... powerless to change anything, it wasn't 1ike him to act against his principles (to be). 6. You might...the doctor a long time ago, by putting off your visit to the doctor you make things still worse (to consult). 7. He may... him a long time, yet he doesn't know him at all (to know). 8. What is John doing now? He may... still for all I know (to sleep). 9. I may... thus an hour or so, I lost all sense of time but it was quite dark in the room when I was brought to my senses by the door bell (to sit). 10. You might... him somehow to make him realize his guilt. He behaves as if he were a hero (to punish).

 

Ex. 21. Paraphrase the following sentences using "may", mind the cor­rect form of the infinitive.

1. I don't remember when I saw her last, it was perhaps ten years ago. 2. I'll stay with you. Perhaps she will not come. I don't want you to be alone. 3. Maybe she was in no mood for talk. We didn't exchange a word on the way back. 4. "Who is this man, anyway?" "His name is Starfield. Possibly you have heard of him." 5. "If I need you I'll call for you," she said, "and maybe I'll need you."

 

Ex. 22. Translate the following sentences using "may (might)", mind the form of the infinitive.

1. Я давно потерял с ними связь. Как знать, может быть, они все еще живут на улице Горького. 2. Может быть он и видел ее на кон­церте, но он мог и ошибиться. Он ведь очень близорук. 3. Вы могли бы быть потверже с ребенком. Вы его портите. 4. Вы могли бы дать показания в пользу обвиняемого. Я был удивлен, когда увидел, что вас нет в суде. 5. Возможно у них не было достаточно улик, чтобы счи­тать его виновным. 6. Никто не мог понять, как это произошло. Воз­можно он растерялся и вместо того, чтобы затормозить, он свернул вправо и наскочил на грузовик. 7. Может быть он крупный специалист, но он не знает, как обращаться с этими приборами. 8. Она была вне себя от беспокойства. Вы могли бы ей позвонить.

 

Ex. 23. Fill in the blanks with "may (might)", " can (could)" or "must". Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. She... not have missed his remark. It was intended for her. 2. The solution... have occurred to him too late. He was powerless to charge anything. 3. As you grow older you... realize how wrong you were. 4. Who... have thought then that the case would be lost? 5. He... have said it but I... hardly believe it. 6. You... have done it for the sake of mother. 7. The mistake... not have remained unnoticed. It was too bad. 8. You say you rang him up at five in the morning. He... have been annoyed with you. 9. You... have said something in your defence. Why didn't you? 10. I... tell by the looks on their faces that they were inter­ested in what I was saying. 11. He... not have forgotten the events of the last few years. They... be still fresh in his mind. 12. He... have warned us. It's so much like him to leave without saying a word. 13. Don't forget summer is over and you... catch cold sitting like this. Bet­ter come inside and while I fix coffee you... tell me all about your prob­lem. 14. Judging by the manner people greet you, you... be a big man here. 15. I... not have been waiting for more than ten minutes but to me it seemed an age.

 

Ex. 24. Translate the following sentences using "must", "may (might)", "can (could)";.

1. Он, должно быть, не очень покладистый человек. 2. Вы, на­верное, уже знакомы. 3. Мы, должно быть, где-то встречались. Ваше лицо мне знакомо. 4. Неужели он не может подождать один день? 5. Может быть вы подумали, что я заинтересован в этом деле? 6. Ну, кто бы мог сказать, что месяц тому назад вы были тяжело больны? 7. Неужели нельзя без шуточек? 8. Может быть, он и пообещал прийти, но я не очень уверен, что он придет. 9. Я не могла пропустить его. Мы точно договорились встретиться здесь. 10. У нее, должно быть, есть деньги. Она вчера мне одолжила сто рублей, не сказав ни слова. 11. Никто не мог сказать по его внешнему виду, что он болен. 12. По­казания свидетелей были против него, и все же он не мог совершить преступления.