English contains many nuances as a borrowed language. Sometimes things just aren’t as consistent as they could be.
In other cases, slight nuances can make all the difference. Take, for example, maybe and may be. In spoken English they sound exactly the same. In written English they differ only by a single space. So it’s easy to get the two confused.
Yet maybe, an adverb meaning perhaps, differs substantially in meaning and function from the verb phrase may be.
A good way to determine the difference is to use perhaps as a replacement. If that replacement makes sense, then maybe is the correct choice. Otherwise, use may be.
Observe the example sentence in the graphic above. Using the perhaps replacement yields
In other cases, slight nuances can make all the difference. Take, for example, maybe and may be. In spoken English they sound exactly the same. In written English they differ only by a single space. So it’s easy to get the two confused.
Yet maybe, an adverb meaning perhaps, differs substantially in meaning and function from the verb phrase may be.
A good way to determine the difference is to use perhaps as a replacement. If that replacement makes sense, then maybe is the correct choice. Otherwise, use may be.
Observe the example sentence in the graphic above. Using the perhaps replacement yields
Stainless steel type 404 perhaps used as a replacement material.
That makes no sense. Thus, may be is the correct choice.
Attention to the little things can make all the difference. So learn and practice the difference between maybe and may be. And it may be that this little thing makes all the difference in your writing.
Attention to the little things can make all the difference. So learn and practice the difference between maybe and may be. And it may be that this little thing makes all the difference in your writing.
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