內容簡介

“Maybe” 和 “may be”，一個是副詞，另一個是包含情態動詞 “may” 和動詞 “be” 的搭配。它們都有 “可能” 的意思，但兩者的用法卻不同。本期 “一分鐘英語” 視頻總結用來區分它們的方法。

文字稿

Hi, everyone! What's the difference between maybe and may be? Well, we are going to find out in this English In A Minute.

May is used to express possibility – usually not a very certain one. It's a modal verb, so it's always followed by a bare infinitive. The bare infinitive of 'be' is… be! Using the two together, we can make a sentence:

Don't call her. She may be at work.

Now – maybe is just one word. It's an adverb and it has a few uses.

Most commonly it means 'perhaps' or 'possibly'. In this case it's often the first word in the sentence:

Don't call her. Maybe she's at work.

However, put it in front of an amount to mean 'around' or 'approximately':

This video will be seen by maybe a million people.

Make it happen, people!

用法總結

1. “May be” 是情態動詞 “may” 與動詞 “be” 的原形 “be” 組合而成的搭配。“May be” 一起用在句子中，可以表不確定性。

• Don't call her. She may be at work.
• It may be the time to go now.

2. “Maybe” 是一個副詞，它有不同的用法。常見用法一：當 “maybe” 表 “可能，也許” 時，常出現在句首。

• Don't call her. Maybe she's at work.
• Maybe I'll go now.

3. “Maybe” 的常見用法二：“maybe” 可以被用在一個數量前，表示 “大約”。

• This video will be seen by maybe a million people.
• I'll get there in maybe four hours.