Fanny May

[supergee]

The past or subjunctive (counterfactual) of the auxiliary verb may is might. If you say "she may have" done something and then make clear that she didn't, you force literate readers to go back and figure out what you were trying to say.

Inspired by two consecutive links from andrewducker

Comments

[manycolored]

I hope they're back to actually teaching grammar in English classes? I only learned English grammar by transferring what I learned in foreign language class. Until I was in 4th year Spanish, I had serious I/me problems.

[supergee]

I doubt that they're doing much of it.

[oursin]

That one really annoys me! I am beginning to think that it is joining the much-eroded useful distinction between 'disinterested' and 'uninterested' in the dodo dictionary.