Maybe is not a word

На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.

На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.

«Maybe» is not an argument.

«Maybe» is not a decision word

«Maybe» is not an answer.

At any point in time, if I were to ask you if you had achieved your goal yet, you must be able to give me a definitive «yes» or «no» answer; «maybe» is not an option.

Проще говоря, в любой момент времени, когда бы у вас ни спросили, достигли ли вы своей цели, вы должны дать однозначный ответ «да» или «нет», «может быть» — здесь не вариант.

At any point in time, if I were to ask you if you had achieved your goal yet, you must be able to give me a definitive «yes» or «no» answer; «maybe» is not an option.

Если я спрошу вас в любой момент, достигли ли вы уже своей цели, то вы должны быть в состоянии дать мне определённый ответ «Да» или «Нет»; «Может быть» — это не ответ.

Другие результаты

Maybe «honesty» is not the right word

I say «maybe» because it is not clear whether Trump will commit his country to a different path.

Я говорю «может быть», потому что до конца неясно, удастся ли Трампу вывести страну на другой путь.

Maybe «funny» is not the right word.

Maybe being «right» is not as important as repairing the relationship.

Возможно, остаться «правым» не так важно, как восстановить отношения.

Today, the word «ok» is maybe not spoken only by the presenters of the news on the central television channels.

Сегодня слово «ок» не говорят разве только ведущие новостей центральных телеканалов.

Maybe a «not» is missing?

«Maybe it is not about the happy ending, it is about the story».

«But maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman.»

Но для женщины слабость — это не самое плохое качество.

«Maybe their democracy is not so perfect.»

«Maybe he is not as rich as he says he is,» Clinton said.

«Может быть, он не так богат, как он говорит», — отметила Клинтон.

If -one thinks, «Maybe my intuition is not right and by following my intuition I will fail», one takes another way, the way of reasoning, of logic.

Если он думает: «Может быть моя интуиция не верна, послушаюсь ее и потерплю поражение», то он следует другим путем, путем рассуждения, логики.

«Maybe the equation is not capturing all the effects of the real fluid because in a real fluid we don’t expect» particles to ever start moving infinitely fast, said Buckmaster.

«Возможно, уравнения охватывают не все эффекты реальной жидкости, поскольку в реальной жидкости мы не ожидаем» бесконечной скорости движения частиц, как говорит Бакмастер.

«Maybe the confidence is not at its highest because he has seen a competitor coming in for him.»

«Возможно, сейчас у него не самая высокая уверенность, потому что на его место пришёл конкурент».

Ничего не найдено для этого значения.

Результатов: 272808. Точных совпадений: 7. Затраченное время: 1394 мс

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Although «maybe» looks like the words «may» and «be», it functions separately and differently, just like «however» is not «how ever».

It is also phonologically different. Maybe is /ˈmeɪˌbi/ with stress on the first syllable. May be is /ˈmeɪˈbiː/ with equal stress on both syllables. So we can clearly tell the difference between the two in spoken English.

«Maybe» is related to «may be» the sense that the pattern:

Maybe [clause]

can usually be rewritten, and can perhaps be regarded as a contraction of:

It may be that [clause]

The «it» is a place-holder subject, just like in «it is raining» or «it is said that …».

«Maybe» is a fairly flexible particle which applies to entire clauses («Maybe I should wait»); verb phrases («I think he maybe went home already»), adverb phrases («I can finish that in three hours, or maybe sooner»); adjectives («I don’t remember what color it was: maybe red, maybe orange»); or nouns («I see a vehicle in the distance, maybe a bus, coming this way»). «May be» cannot be in the same way, simply by placing it in front of a clause or phrase. It is a compound verb which requires the formation of a clause with a subject. If we replace all these uses with «may be» we have to rearrange or complicate the sentence so that there is a proper embedded clause built around «may» with a subject: «It may be that I should wait»; «It may be that he went home already»; «I can finish that in about three hours, or it may be that I can finish it sooner»; «It may be that it was red; it may be that it was orange»; «I see a vehicle, which may be a bus, coming this way».

And so,

Maybe it’s time to switch doctors.

can also be expressed as

It may be that it is time to switch doctors.

possibly even with the complementizer omitted:

It may be it is time to switch doctors.

But «May be (/ˈmeɪˈbiː/) /it’s time to switch» is not grammatical. The verb «may» is lacking a subject.

A compound word is two or more words combined to form a new word. There are many compound words in English, like windmill, strawberry, granddaughter, and maybe.

Maybe also has a near homophone in the phrase may be. Since, in this case, the words are kept separate, it is no longer a compound word. May be is actually a verb phrase.

Is the compound word maybe and the phrase may be ever interchangeable? Continue reading to find out.

What is the Difference Between Maybe and May Be?

In this article, I will discuss the difference between these two: maybe vs. may be. I will give an example of each in a correct sentence. Plus, I will reveal a useful trick to use when you can’t decide whether may be or maybe is appropriate.

When to Use Maybe

What does maybe mean? Maybe is an adverb that indicates possibility. It is therefore a synonym of the adverbs possibly and perhaps.

For example,

• “Maybe later on, you and I can go swimming together down at the holler,” Susanna offered.
• “Maybe,” Tom replied, “but Pa needs me to put the cows out to pasture first.”
• Maybe what you can go online and get tomorrow. (Told you some things had changed.) Maybe what you could buy your partner (ditto). Maybe what to put on a wish list. –The New York Times

When to Use May Be

What does may be mean? May be also indicates possibility, but it is a verb phrase, rather than an adverb.

May be consists of the verbs may and be, which are separate words here, and which refer to something that could happen or a state of affairs that might exist.

For example,

• I may be young, but I am wise beyond my years.
• Mia may be going to the beach today, but only if she doesn’t have to drive herself.
• Rapidly melting Greenland may be shedding its ice even faster than anyone suspected, new research suggests. –The Washington Post

Trick to Remember the Difference

Still confused? Here is a helpful trick to remember may be vs. maybe

May be and maybe are two different parts of speech, and they can’t be substituted for each other.

• May be is a verb phrase.
• Maybe is an adverb.

In the chart below, I isolated the usage of may be and maybe as verbs by graphing usage of the phrases “maybe true” and “may be true” using Google Ngrams.

As you can see, maybe is never used as a verb. This chart references books written in English since 1800, so it’s not compete or scientific, but it’s accurate enough to identify long-term usage patterns.

You can remember to only use the phrase may be as a verb since it contains two separate verbs. By looking at the parts of speech contained in this phrase, it will be easy to know how to use it in a sentence.

Summary

Is it maybe or may be? While these words contain all of the same letters, they do function as different parts of speech, and they cannot be substituted for each other.

• Maybe is an adverb that means possibly or perhaps.
• May be is a verb phrase that indicates something that might happen or a potential state of affairs.

Since the verb phrase may be contains two separate verbs, you will always remember not to use it as an adverb. Likewise, maybe is only ever an adverb, and never a verb.

If you are still confused, you can always refer back to this article to help you remember, and for guidance on whether maybe or may be is the word you want to use.

If you want to improve your writing, it doesn’t hurt to master some English grammar skills. One of the questions a lot of writers asks is how to use the word maybe: specifically, when to use maybe vs. may be.

Don’t worry. You’re not alone in thinking that the English language can have some difficult rules to remember when it comes to grammar and writing.

Today, let’s focus on when to use the word maybe versus the phrase may be to improve your writing.

Here’s the quick rule for maybe vs. may be:

The Simple Trick to Maybe vs. May Be

If you can replace it with “potentially,” use maybe. If you can replace it with “might be,” use may be.

If you’re interested in knowing WHY this is true, read on!

The Difference Between Maybe and May Be: The 9 Parts of Speech

Maybe and may be are both used to discuss possibility. However, they are different, with the main difference between these two words being that they are two different parts of speech.

As you may remember from elementary school, there are nine different parts of speech:

Need a refresher on these? Check out our full parts of speech guide here.

But which part of speech do maybe and may be fall under?

Maybe Is an Adverb

Maybe is an adverb, which means it needs to modify a verb. As an adverb, the word maybe means possibly.

It’s also a synonym for perhaps.

For instance:

• Maybe I’ll cook soup for dinner.
• Maybe Jill will ask Jack out.
• Maybe you could stop at Starbucks before coming over?

Also, notice how where a word like “might” is not usually used in the beginning of a sentence, the verb “maybe” very well could be—something worth pointing out since many ESL (English Language Learners) mistake maybe for might when first learning American English.

But what about the word may be?

May and Be Are Both Verbs

On the other hand, the phrase “may be” uses two verbs, which can work as separate words. This also means that “may” and “be” express a state of being.

Separated, “may” is a modal verb and “be” is a main or auxiliary verb.

When these word are separated, “may be” acts a verb phrase that means “could be” or “might be.”

Separated, the verb “may” expresses possibility where the verb “be” express a state of being.

As verbs, the phrase “may be” will always modify a noun. Some example sentences of this are:

• John may be at the dance tonight.
• Heather may be joining us for brunch.
• Courtney may be late.

The English language often combines two different verbs that, when placed together, usually convey a different meaning than the verbs do when they stand alone.

How to Use  Maybe vs. May Be (With Examples)

The tricky fact is that they have similar meanings, which makes it more difficult to distinguish. So with that in mind, look at the difference between these two words in context:

Correct:

• Maybe Deon will be interested in going swing dancing next week.
• Deon may be interested in going swing dancing tonight.

The first sentence is correct because “maybe” is modifying the verb “will be.” If you replaced it with “potentially” it would mean the same thing, but if you replaced “may” with “might” it wouldn’t make sense.

“Might be Deon” just sounds weird, right?

The second sentence is correct because “may be” is the action for the proper noun, “Deon.” If you replaced “may” with “might” it would sound normal, “Deon might be interested….” Sounds good, right? But if you replaced it with “potentially,” it would be weird.

“Deon potentially interested….” Unless you’re a caveman, that doesn’t sound right.

Let’s look at some incorrect examples:

Incorrect:

• May be Shirley will go to tango night with us.
• Shirley maybe going to tango night with us.

For the first sentence, again try replacing “may be” with “might be” and you’ll find it sounds more like Yoda-speak than normal English.

For the second sentence, replacing “maybe” with “potentially” feels weirdly clipped. You’d have to say, “Shirley potentially will be going…,” to make it work, and even then, “may be” is much smoother.

Let’s look at a few other examples that use correct grammar:

Correct:

• Vardy says he may be doing a cha cha performance next week.
• Vardy says he is thinking about maybe doing a cha cha performance next week.
• If Tina goes dancing tomorrow, she may be showing off her new swing skills.
• If Tina goes dancing tomorrow, maybe she can show off her new swing skills.

Are you seeing it now?

The Trick to Never Confuse Maybe and May Be Again

Again, the easiest way to make sure you’re using these correctly is to replay “maybe” with “potentially” and “may be” with “might be.” If the sentence is still correct, you’re good. If it’s not, then you know you need to change it.

So there you have it. Now you’ll never confuse the two again! But just to be sure, let’s practice the two with a creative writing exercise.

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