Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel Sparkle English where I teach you how to improve your
level of English. Today I have a lesson for you on the difference between may be and maybe. And this
is a very common error in English, maybe and may be are often confused in English. However, they do
have slightly different meanings and uses. And the pronunciation can be different to maybe without a
space is always pronounced as one word maybe, and may be sometimes has a slight pause in between may
and be. We can listen to this, as I tell you the difference between these two phrases or words.
Let's first begin with maybe. Maybe is an adverb that indicates a possibility or uncertainty. We
use maybe to say we are unsure about something or to suggest that something is possible.
For example, I'm not sure if it will rain tomorrow, but maybe we should take an
umbrella just in case. Maybe she will get the job promotion if she does well in the interview.
I'm not sure which movie to watch tonight, but maybe we can decide together.
So in all of these examples, we're using maybe as an adverb. Now, a good way to remember if
we should write maybe without a space or with a space is that maybe without a space is a synonym
of the word perhaps. And these words can often be used interchangeably in many contexts. So
these are all the previous examples I showed you. But we have replaced the word maybe with perhaps.
I'm not sure if it will rain tomorrow, but perhaps we should take an umbrella just in case. Perhaps
she will get the job promotion if she does well in the interview. So if you can replace maybe
with perhaps, then it's okay to write it without a space between may and be. Maybe can also be used
as a standalone answer to yes or no questions. For example, do you want to go to the beach
tomorrow? Maybe. I'll think about it. So here, you could say yes or no. Or maybe. Or perhaps
is John coming to the party tonight. Maybe. I'm not sure. Again, maybe functions like perhaps.
Now may be is a verb phrase. This is not one word. These are two separate words together
that make a verb phrase. It's a verb phrase consisting of the model verb may and the verb
be. It suggests permission or the possibility of something happening. So for example,
she may be wearing a red dress to the wedding. Now notice that it's a verb phrase; we can't
take this away. We need this to make the sentence because "she wearing a red dress to the wedding"
doesn't make sense. May be is functioning as a verb phrase. It is essential to this sentence.
He may be traveling next week, so we need to check his schedule.
Again, it's functioning as a verb phrase. We need to have may be or else the sentence won't
make sense. "He traveling next week" doesn't make sense. We need this phrase may be. It functions
as the verb in this sentence. Barbara may be running late for the meeting due to traffic.
So before I taught you that maybe (one word) is very similar to perhaps,
and we cannot replace any of these verb phrases with perhaps. She perhaps wearing a red dress
to the wedding. That's incorrect. He perhaps traveling next week. Again,
that's incorrect. Perhaps does not function as a verb. So maybe is a verb phrase that
is very similar to the verb phrase might be. And these can often be used interchangeably.
So remember, maybe with no space is the same as perhaps, and may be is the same as might be. For
example, She might be wearing a red dress to the wedding. So you could say she may be wearing or
she might be wearing. He might be traveling next week; Barb might be running late for the meeting.
So ask yourself, can I change maybe to might be? And does it still make sense? And if it does,
put a space between may and be when it is necessary as the verb in the sentence.
So let's do a quick comparison of how similar these are, but how they are a little different.
Maybe she'll come to the party. She may be coming to the party. Notice the difference.
Because if we remove maybe from the first sentence, the sentence still makes sense.
She'll come to the party; she will come to the party. That's a sentence all by itself. Maybe
is not functioning as a verb, or a verb phrase, because the sentence still has sense without it.
Whereas she may be coming to the party, if we remove may be: "she coming to the party," that
is no longer grammatically correct. Because we need this verb phrase to make this sentence.
Another example, maybe he will be promoted to a higher position. Again, if we remove maybe the
sentence still makes sense. He may be promoted to a higher position. And here it is functioning as
a verb phrase. So you can write it in both ways. So we're going to do a short quiz, and you have to
determine if we fill in the blanks with maybe or may be. Remember, maybe is essentially the
same as perhaps, and may be is the same as might be. So remember that as you're taking the quiz.
Number one, _____ I can come to the party, but I'm not sure yet.
Two. Brandon said he _____ able to finish the project by tomorrow.
Number three. It _____ too late to order the new video game system.
Number four: I don't think it's going to be sunny tomorrow, but _____ we should bring sunscreen.
And finally, number five. The concert tickets _____ sold out by now, so we should check online.
Okay, let's correct these together. Number one is maybe with no space. Maybe I can come to the
party, but I'm not sure yet. Here, it's the same as saying perhaps. And remember, if we remove
maybe from the sentence, it is still correct grammatically. Okay. Number two. Brandon said he
may be able to finish the project by tomorrow. Here may be is functioning as a verb phrase.
Number three, it may be too late to order the new video game system.
So again, maybe is a verb phrase. Number four, maybe. I don't think it's going to
be sunny tomorrow, but maybe we should bring sunscreen. Perhaps we should bring sunscreen.
And finally number five, the concert tickets may be sold out by now, so we should check online.
Again we need this verb phrase for the sentence to be grammatically correct.
Okay, I know this was a more difficult one. So let me know in the comments section how many you
got correct out of five. And I also encourage you to practice writing two sentences: one with the
adverb, maybe, and one with the verb phrase, may be. Okay, thank you guys for watching. Make sure
to subscribe to Sparkle English for more lessons like this one, and I'll see you in my next video.