Can vs. May
Although, traditionally, can has meant “to be able” and may has meant “to be permitted” or to express possibility, both can and may are commonly used interchangeably in respect to permission.
Example: He can hold his breath for 30 seconds.
Meaning: He is able to hold his breath for 30 seconds.
Example: He may hold his breath for 30 seconds.
Meaning #1: It is possible that he will hold his breath.
Meaning #2: He has permission to hold his breath. (This meaning is unlikely.)
Example: May/Can I go to the mall tonight?
Regardless of whether you choose can or may here, it is clear that permission is being requested.
In spoken English, a request for permission is generally answered with can, cannot, or can’t, rather than with may or may not, even if the question was formed using may. (Although mayn’t is a word, it looks and sounds strange even to native speakers.)
Example of Dialogue:
“May I go to the mall tonight?”
“No, you can’t/cannot go.” OR “Yes, you can go.”
Occasionally, you may hear someone say something like, “I cannot but argue when you say such silly things.” The expression cannot but is actually a shorthand way of saying “cannot help but.” You may also hear the expression can but, which means “can only.”
Example: We can but do our best to arrive on time.
Pop Quiz
1. Can/May you imagine a world without war?
2. Can/May I call you for a date?
3. She can/may run faster than anyone else on the team. (able to)
Quiz Answers
1. Can
2. Can or May
3. Can
Take an Online Quiz
Try a Confusing Words Online Quiz and get answers and explanations instantly!
Word Play
She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
Hundreds of Quizzes at Your Fingertips
Get hundreds of additional quizzes not found in The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation or anywhere else! Click here to subscribe.
* Take the quizzes online or download and copy them.
* Get scored instantly.
* Read explanations for every quiz answer. NEW!
* Reproduce the quizzes to your heart`s content.
* Use one subscription for your entire family, classroom, or office.
* Dozens of English Usage Topics including:
o Subject/Verb Agreement
o Problems with Prepositions
o Pronouns including Who/Whom/Whoever/Whomever
o Adjectives and Adverbs including Good vs. Well
o Capitalization
o Writing Numbers
o Punctuation Marks including Commas, Semicolons, Quotation Marks, Hyphens, and Dashes.
o Hundreds of Spelling,Vocabulary, and Confusing Words including Affect vs. Effect, Lay vs. Lie, It`s vs. Its
Click here to subscribe.
Hundreds of quizzes designed to help you become a better writer, student, or proofreader. Great preparation for the SAT.
A gold mine for teachers, homeschoolers, and trainers:
* self-paced
* automatic, instant scoring online
* explanations to every answer provided
* every relevant topic covered
* downloadable and reproducible
* one subscription works for an entire family, classroom, or office
Click here to subscribe.
Don’t need all the quizzes at once? You can now purchase the same interactive, downloadable subscription quizzes individually.
Click here.
The Blue Book of Grammar E-Book Is Now Available!
What’s the advantage? It’s downloadable so you will have it with you wherever you have your laptop. Click here to order.
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation 10th Edition
An indispensable tool for busy professionals, teachers, students, home-school families, editors, writers, & proofreaders. Great resource for SAT preparation.
View entire contents online
• Grammar Rules
• Punctuation & Capitalization Rules
• Rules for Writing Numbers
• Hundreds of Spelling/Vocabulary/Confusing Words
• Reproducible quizzes with answers
Discounts available for schools, bookstores, and multiple copies. Click to order.
________________________________________
English In A Snap: 68 One-Minute English Usage Videos
View Jane’s 68 one-minute video lessons that are available FREE. Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and bosses), children, teachers, and friends.
Click here to view.
Valuable Link
Click here to read excerpts from Jane’s other wonderful book, Enough Is Enough! Stop Enduring and Start Living Your Extraordinary Life and listen to her podcasts. Learn more about Jane’s personal coaching work, speaking engagements, and articles that will inspire you to thrive.
February 27th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
I am very happy to see that you make a distinction between may and can. I teach ESL students at the elementary and college levels. I had talked to the ” Grammar Lady ” a few years ago. She said that the rule had been relaxed and you could use can for permission. I refused to accept that and continued to teach the difference between the two. I had two elementary school teachers who taught grammar with a passion. I loved learning about grammar
and diagramming. I have found only two other people who feel the way I do about grammar. Thank you for the service you provide.
Larry E. Henry
February 28th, 2007 at 12:06 am
Larry, you are most welcome.
March 18th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Larry/Jane: I too am pretty passionate about grammar.
March 26th, 2007 at 3:02 am
Now which one is more appropriate:
1. “May I speak to ….”
2. “May I speak with…”
3. “Can I speak to…”
4. “Can I speak with…”
5. “Could I speak with/to…”
March 26th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
“May I speak to…” and “May I speak with…” are both correct. “Can” is used for ability while “may” is used for permission, which fits with your example.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Thank you Jane. It’s crystal clear to me now.
March 30th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
http://www.bartleby.com/61/76/C0057600.html
Generations of grammarians and teachers have insisted that can should be used only to express the capacity to do something, and that may must be used to express permission. But children do not use can to ask permission out of a desire to be stubbornly perverse. They have learned it as an idiomatic expression from adults: After you clean your room, you can go outside and play. As part of the spoken language, this use of can is perfectly acceptable. This is especially true for negative questions, such as Can’t I have the car tonight? probably because using mayn’t instead of can’t sounds unnatural.
March 30th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
It’s true that spoken language is often different from written language. Your examples with “can” and “may” are good ones.
March 27th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
When my children ask, “May I go outside?” Do I response “Yes, you can.”?
March 29th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I’m sure that a simple “yes” is enough for them to go running out the door. However, I won’t sidestep your question. To help them understand the distinction between “can” and “may,” you may wish to say, “Yes, you may.”
May 7th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Grammar lovers tend to love rules. Alas, grammar is often not nearly as cut-and-dried as these folks would like. Merriam addresses far more than the stark permission / ability dichotomy. In many contexts “can” and “may” are interchangable. “May” certainly may (sic) be used to denote possibility. Hence, the procedure “You may click the third link to open the PDF” is fine, despite all those that scream can! can! until the woman with the ruffled dress starts dancing with a high kick.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
i have a colleague who, in emails, types, “may you (call this person, meet me at 3pm, etc.)” instead of, “can you”. it drives me crazy, because i know it’s not correct, but i don’t know how to tell her. could you give me the rule?
thanks!
April 7th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
“Can you” would be correct because these questions imply the ability to fulfill the request, not permission to do so. Example: You can eat cake. (You have the ability to eat cake.) You may eat cake. (You have permission to eat cake.)