Thread: Wordsmiths of the World
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10-13-2012, 07:37 PM #1
Wordsmiths of the World
Here among you writer types I want to pose a question. If you were trying to explain to a foreigner studying English, how would you spell out the difference between "maybe" and "may be" other than saying one has a space and the other doesn't?
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10-13-2012, 09:12 PM #2
Re: Wordsmiths of the World
A preference, no difference.
Cool as a rule, but sometimes bad is bad.
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10-13-2012, 10:41 PM #3
Re: Wordsmiths of the World
Well it may be that the distinction is hard to make, but maybe I will try. In the former the word "be" remains a verb, qualified by a less than certain "may". In the latter, the "maybe" is one word, not a verb.
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10-14-2012, 01:11 AM #4
Re: Wordsmiths of the World
I think 'maybe' is used more often as an answer between yes and no, as in "Will Joker resign soon?" "Maybe."
'May be' is used more often to describe what something might be, as in "Is Joker a football coach?" "He may be, but it's debatable."changing my signature to change our luck.
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10-15-2012, 08:04 AM #5
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