Captain may I? I think I might.
may is used to express permission
May I come in? Yes, you may.
may is used to express something which is possible but not certain
He may be hiding a weapon.
may not is the proper negative form for may
might not are the proper negative form for might
might is the past tense of may
She might have done better if she had studied
might is used to express something which is unlikely
The boss might ride a tricycle around the office, but I doubt it.
might is better to use than may concerning doubt about something happening
We might not attend to the event.
For more information, visit Grammar Girl.
Could you speak a little louder?
Can is used to express ability
He can lift the heavy suitcase onto the cart.
Can is used to express a possibility
There can be risks in any strenuous activity so take it easy.
Cannot is used to express belief
It cannot be midnight already.
Could is used to make requests
Could I have more dessert?
Could is the past tense of can.
Yesterday I could barely stand in the strong wind.
I will be adding more posts presently
presently – in the near future
Let me finish this task and I’ll be with you presently.
presently – at the present time [usage is debatable]
She is presently working on a new song.
For a strong opinion on this, visit Everything Language and Grammer.
The word “fun” is in flux
fun as a noun:
I had fun at the carnival.
fun as an adjective:
I had a fun time at the carnival.
She had a more fun time at the carnival than me.
He had the most fun time of all of us.
She had a funner time at the carnival than me. [slang]
He had the funnest time of all of us. [slang]
fun as a verb:
He is just funning you.
Grammar Girl has a more detailed explanation.
Ordinal numbers (first, not firstly)
Cardinal numbers are one, two, three, etc.
Ordinal numbers are first, second, third, etc.
Do not add -ly to ordinal numbers!
For more details, see this posting in Everything Language and Gramar.
Don’t follow these and those with “ones”
these – a reference to objects that are near
those – a reference to objects that are far
Never follow these words with the word ones!
For a more detailed explanation, visit Everything Language and Grammar.
Do labels make you tense?
Honestly, I really did see these somewhere.
label not lable
tense not tents – not relaxed
Don’t give me any of that jive
to gibe – to tease
to not jibe – to not agree
to jive – to deceive
I referenced this interesting site.
I was taken aback by their response
These are sometimes misheard and pronounced incorrectly:
taken aback – surprised
(not taken back)
jibe – agree, e.g., the facts don’t jibe
(not jive)
My desire for correct grammar is deep-seated
These are sometimes misheard and pronounced incorrectly:
cotter key – A pin inserted through a hole to hold machine parts together
(not carter key)
deep-seated – firmly established
(not deep-seeded)
a deprecated method - a construct in a computing language being phased out
(not depreciated)