+173.+ _May_ used as a helping verb means present permission in regard to an action or possession, as:
You may come with us. He may have the money.
+174.+ It may also mean a possible action or possession. _You may come with us_, for example, might mean that some time in the future it is possible that you will come with us. _He may have the money_, might mean either _He is given permission to have the money_, or _It is possible that he has it_.
_May_, used with many verb forms, means _it is possible_. For example: _He may be hungry_, _He may have starved_. _He may have been starving_; that is, it is possible that _he is hungry_; that _he has starved_; that _he was starving_.
+175.+ _Might_ is the past form of _may_ and expresses past permission to do or to be and also possibility in the past. For example: _The officer said he might go_. That is, he gave him permission to go. _You might have helped your comrades_; that is, _you had the power to have helped_.
_Might_ is also used to express permission or the power to do in the present and future, on condition. For example:
He might find work if he were trained. The workers might destroy this insane system if they would.
Study carefully the following sentences. Write in the blank space preceding each sentence the number of the paragraph in the lesson which governs the use of the helping verbs _may_ or _might_ in that sentence.
1. ...... The solidarity of the workers might have averted this war. 2. ...... "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these--'it might have been.'" 3. ...... You might join us. 4. ...... The people struggle that they may live. 5. ...... Try; you might succeed. 6. ...... The day may come when this day's deeds shall be remembered. 7. ...... Victory might be ours if we dared to face the issue. 8. ...... "Men may come and men may go; But I go on forever." 9. ...... It seemed possible that we might win. 10. ...... May we ever be loyal and true! 11. ...... It appeared for a time that we might be involved in war. 12. ...... Let come what may, we will not yield.
+176.+ _Can_ is the present-time form and _could_ the past-time form, and both imply ability or power to do or to be. _You can go_ means _You are able to go_,--_You have the power to go_. _You may go_ means _You have permission to go_. _Can_ is often used when we should use _may_, when we mean to give permission. Habit plays a great part in our life and knowledge of the right way does not always suffice. It is only continued effort that will establish correct habits of speech. Good English would be easy of accomplishment if "to do were as easy as to know what it were good to do."