Follow us on Twitter Use our gadget on iGoogle Follow us on Facebook Chat about grammar Search this site
Grammar Lessons | Grammar Tests | Common Grammar Errors | Grammatical Terms | Easily Confused Words | Free Grammar Checker | Search | Contact Us

maybe and may be - the difference




'Maybe' means 'perhaps'.
'May be' means 'might be'.
 

There is often confusion over 'maybe' and 'may be'.

Maybe

Maybe (one word) can be substituted with 'perhaps' or 'possibly'. ('Maybe' is an adverb.) Try substituting the 'maybe' in these examples with 'perhaps':

Maybe this world is another planet's hell. (Aldous Huxley)

Courage is saying, "Maybe what I'm doing isn't working; maybe I should try something
else." (Anna Lappe)

Maybe you have to know darkness before you can appreciate the light. (Madeleine L'engle)

There are a lot of people who can't write and maybe shouldn't write. (Sarah Hepola)


May Be

May be (two words) is similar to 'might be', 'could be' or 'would be'. (The word 'may' in 'may be' is an auxiliary verb.)

Examples:

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking. (H. L. Mencken)

If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking. (Lyndon B. Johnson)

The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool. (Jane Wagner)

Select the correct version:



 
USE 'MAYBE' IF 'PERHAPS' WORKS

Like 'maybe', the word 'perhaps' is an adverb. If it works perfectly in your sentence, then you should be using 'maybe'. If 'perhaps' does not work well (i.e. you feel there is a word missing), then you should be using 'may be'. For example:

If you trust Google more than your doctor then maybe it's time to switch doctors.
("..then perhaps it's time" — works perfectly. Therefore, 'maybe' is okay.)

Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery. (Dr. Joyce Brothers )
("Listening, not imitation, perhaps the sincerest form..." — sound wrong. Therefore, 'may be' is okay. 'Maybe' would be wrong.)

See also:

Glossary of easily confused words
Glossary of common errors
Glossary of grammatical terms
What are nouns?
What are verbs?

We need your help to improve Grammar Monster.

Do you disagree with something on this site?
Do you have any entertaining examples that would improve this site?
Do you have any pictures that would make our site more entertaining?

  Please tell us
  using this form.

Do you have a grammar question?

  You can ask us
  on our grammar forum.

Share Grammar Monster with others.

Delicious Digg Facebook reddit Stumble
Grammar Lessons | Grammar Tests | Common Grammar Errors | Grammatical Terms | Easily Confused Words | Free Grammar Checker | Search | Contact Us