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The writer's art: Is it 'may' or is it 'might?'  Syndicated
Columnist Published Monday, January 26, 2004  This was the
headline over a news item from Quebec: "Fences may have stopped
avalanche."  This was the headline over a story from Las Vegas:
"Miracle Mile flooding may have been averted."  In each
instance, as the stories themselves made clear, the copy editor
should have used "might" instead of "may." Authorities in Quebec
had recommended fences, but their advice had been ignored. In
Nevada, a Clark County spokesman said proper land management
"most definitely" would have alleviated the erosion that
intensified the flood.  The verbal auxiliaries "may" and "might"
are trickers. We're not talking today of "may" in the sense of
permission: "You may have a nightcap, but that's all!" No, we're
talking probability. The general rule is that "may" conveys a
higher degree of probability than "might." Thus, "He may get
falling-down drunk" carries a h