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#2 (permalink) Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:45 am difference between: "I may buy..." and "I may have to buy..." |
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I may buy = I will possibly buy, but I will have the choice. I don't have to buy it and I may not really need to buy it.
I may have to buy = If I want to have enough of this, then it is possible that I will need to buy some more. I won't have a choice because I will have run out.
I like this bread. I may buy some more when I next visit the market. (choice) I'm not sure whether I have enough bread left to last all day tomorrow. I may have to buy some more in the morning. (no choice if I don't want to run out) _________________ "Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."
Terry Pratchett |
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Beeesneees Language Coach

Joined: 08 Apr 2010 Posts: 39144 Location: UK, born and bred
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#3 (permalink) Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:22 am difference between: "I may buy..." and "I may have to buy..." |
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Hi Alesger,
'May' as a modal often expresses 'possibility' as in: It may rain this afternoon. We are not sure because we don't know.
'Have to' suggests 'necessity' as in: I have to take an umbrella with me because it is raining.
If you join those two sentences together, it becomes: As it may rain this afternoon, I may have to take an umbrella with me. In that sentence the necessity (have to) is limited to a possibility (may).
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#4 (permalink) Thu Feb 24, 2011 13:41 pm difference between: "I may buy..." and "I may have to buy..." |
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Hi Alan,
So if we join the two sentences from the above test, it becomes: As I may run out of wood, I may have to by some extra wood.
Does it have the same meaning with the sentence: If I run out of wood, I will buy some extra wood.
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Alesger You can meet me at english-test.net
Joined: 22 Jun 2010 Posts: 95 Location: Azerbaijan
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#5 (permalink) Thu Feb 24, 2011 16:36 pm difference between: "I may buy..." and "I may have to buy..." |
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Hi.
'I will buy' doesn't indicate the necessity to buy that you find in I will have to buy.'
Alan _________________ English as a Foreign Language You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#6 (permalink) Sat Jan 23, 2016 5:24 am may |
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I understand that it's for sure that I will have to buy some extra wood for the finishings. Why not? _________________ A cup of good coffe can make life bearable. |
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Alfwm I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 134 Location: Bogotá, Colombia
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enticement | Difference between sometime and sometimes |