might

由于在疑问句中使用 might 的一般过去时是为了表示礼貌,所以在回答时一般是用一般现在时形式的 may(参见 may $^{4}$ ): Yes, you may. (CGEL)

但是,也可以使用 might:

1. A: Might I borrow your typewriter for a moment, do you think? 您认为我可以使用您的打字机吗？

B: Perhaps you might, if you're very careful with it. (EGS) 也许可以,只是您使用它时要非常小心。

2. ‘Might I ask where this verse came from?...’ ‘You might ask,’ Langdon said, with a friendly smile, ‘but it’s a long story and we have very little time.’ (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) “我能不能问问，这首诗从何而来？……”“当然可以，”兰登友善地笑了笑：“不过说来话就长了，可我们又没有那么多的时间啊。”(《达·芬奇密码》)

上面的试题是不妥当的:选项 C 也同样正确,因为 could 也可以表示“可能性”,见 could $^{6,7}$ 。再如:

1. He could reply by the weekend. 他可能在周末之前回答。

2. You could start a bush fire. 你可能引起灌木火灾。

这里的 might 是 may 的替换词，两者没有什么区别，见 may/might。

应当记住:might 除了用作 may 的过去时之外,更多地是用来指现在或将来的可能性。

1. You'd better not go inside. There might be snakes. 你最好不要进去，也许有蛇。

2. I haven't decided. There's a talk on cancer that might be quite interesting, so perhaps I'll go to that. 我还没有决定。有一个关于癌症的报告或许很有趣，因此我也许去听听。

3. It is quite possible that the thief might put some meat in your bag, hoping you will be caught and called a thief. 很可能这个小偷会把肉放进你的包里，希望人们抓住你，把你叫做小偷。

4. If he has time, he may/might come. 如果他有时间,他可能来的。

上文的作者误解了 might as well 的意义和用法。把 might 理解为“或许”，而把 as well 理解为“也”。其实，might（may）as well 是一个常用习语，意思是“不妨”“最好”“还是……的好”。它与单独使用的 as well 的意义和用法完全不同。因此，上文作者把上句中的 as well 解释为，also，too，in addition，完全是一种误解，因而所举的例句也是与上题风马牛不相及的（参见 now（that），may as well）。

[试译]既然你得到了一个机会,你最好还是充分地利用它。

用“没有理由不做”来翻译上面的 may(might) as well 是不恰当的, 它没有把 may (might) as well 的真实含义表达出来。通常的译法是“不妨”“还是……的好”, 更详细的情形见

除了用在虚拟条件句中之外,might have done 通常可以表达两种含义:

A. 推测过去有可能发生某事,至于这种可能性是否已变成了现实,说话人并不知道。在表达这一层含义时,might have done 可用 may have done 来代替。请分析下面的实例及其译法:1. You might have dropped it somewhere. [‘It is possible that you (have) dropped it some-where. ’ ] 你可能把那件东西掉在什么地方了。

2. He may/might have gone. (= It is possible that he went/has gone.) 他可能(已经)走了。

3. The train might have been delayed. (= Perhaps the train has been delayed.) 火车可能晚点了。

4. ‘What do you think that noise was?’——‘It might have been a cat.’ “你认为那是什么声音?”——“可能是一只猫。”

5. He may/might not have received the letter. 他可能没有收到那封信。

不难看出，问句中的 might have called for help 是属于上一用法。句意是：她可能会喊救命的呀。 B. 推测过去有可能发生某事，并且确切知道这种可能性并未变成现实（即表示过去有可能发生而事实上并未发生的事）。在表达这层含义时，might have done 不能用 may have done 来代替。请分析下面的实例及其译法：

1. You were stupid to try climbing up there. You might have killed yourself. 你试图攀登到那上边去是愚蠢的。你可能会摔死的。（说话人知道听话人并未摔死）

2. He came home alone. You shouldn't have let him do that; he might have got lost (but he didn't get lost). 他独自回家了。你不应当让他这么做，他可能会迷路的。（说话人知道他并未迷路）

3. Why did you leave the matches there? The children might have started a fire. 你为什么把火柴放在那儿？孩子们可能会点火的。

对于这种过去有可能发生但实际上未发生的事情,说话人可能有两种态度:庆幸或高兴,不满或责备:

1. You might have told me! 你本应该告诉我的！（抱怨）

2. You might have been more careful. 你本应该再细心些的。(指责)

3. You might have let me know earlier! 你本可以早点让我知道！（责备）

4. A lot of men died who might have been saved. 有许多人本来可以救活，却死了。（惋惜）

5. You might both have been caught and killed! 你们俩可能被捉住砍头的呀！（庆幸）由于 might have done 具有上面两种含义，所以有些句子可能会产生歧义：

You shouldn't have drunk the wine; it might have been drugged. 你本不应喝那酒，里边可

能放了麻药/里边是有可能放麻药的呀。（说话人不能确切知道酒里到底有没有放麻药/说话人现在确切知道酒里并没有放麻药）

葛老只是讲了 may have done 与 might have done 的相异之处, 而没有讲到它们的相同之处。实际上, might have done 在没有上下文的条件下, 可以表示两种含义: A. 推测过去发生某事的可能性(说话人并不知道某事事实上是否真的发生)。此时, 它与 may have done 和 could have done 同义, 故 He might have seen her yesterday. 可以译为“他昨天可能看见了她。”下面是类似的实例:

1. Grandpapa might have secretly married Pepita. 祖父可能是秘密地同佩皮塔结的婚。

2. He might/may have missed the train. 他也许没有赶上火车。

3. It occurred to me that I might have got it wrong. 我突然想到,我可能搞错了。

B. 过去本有可能发生某事,但说话人已知此事事实上并未发生。此时,He might have seen her yesterday. 可以译为:“他本来可以在昨天看见她[但实际上不曾看见她]”。在这个意义上,might have done 是不能用 may have done 来替换的,见

句(1)是完全正确的句子,并且与汉语原句等值。见might $^{8,9}$ 。

当站在“现在”的立场来谈论“过去可能发生了某事”时, may have done 与 might have done 是可以互换的:

1. He may/might have missed the train. 他可能没有赶上火车。

2. The doctor said, "You may have hurt a bone in your back." 医生说: “你后背有一根骨头可能受了伤。”

3. You may have noticed some birds sitting on the backs of sheep. (全国高考,96-阅C)你可能看到过某些鸟站在羊背上。

4. You might both have been caught and killed! 你们俩可能被捉住砍头的呀！

但是，当站在“过去”的立场来谈论“此前可能发生了某事”时，则只能用 might have done，故你提出的句子中的 might have caused 是不能改为 may have caused 的。

might have done 还可以用在虚拟语气中, 它的意思是: “在某个与过去事实相反的条件下, 可能发生了某事”。它的用法相当于 would have done, 但语气不那么肯定。would have done 表示“在某个与过去事实相反的条件下, 某事必定发生了”, 而 might have done 表示“在某个与过去事实相反的条件下, 某事可能发生了”。应当注意的是, “与过去事实相反的条件” 并不总是用 if 从句来表达的, 它也可以通过其他语言手段来表达。例如上面试题中的 Otherwise。下面是 might have done 用于虚拟语气的实例(此时不能用 may have done):

1. If we had found him earlier we might have saved his life. 要是我们那时早点找到他的话,我们可能会把他救活的。
2. If you had worked a little harder, you could/might have passed. 如果你学习再努力一点儿，你可能就考及格了。

上面两个句子,无论在结构上,还是在语义上都是不同的。从结构上看,couldn't 中的 not 是否定情态动词 could 的,而 might not 中的 not 则是否定其后的动词的。从语义上看,couldn't 表示说话人对自己所作的推测或估计充满自信,而 might not 则表示说话人对自己所作的推测或估计并无把握,仅仅提出一种可能性(参见 may not)。

(1)他们可能不是认真的。(2)他们(绝)不可能是认真的。

请分析并翻译下面的句子：

1. They might not be telling lies.
2. They couldn't be telling lies.

我们已经知道,could + 完成时不定式和 might + 完成时不定式都可以表示对过去可能发生的事件的推测。在这个意义上 could 和 might 是可以互换的：

1. You might have dropped it somewhere. 你可能把它丢在什么地方了。

2. She could have gone off with some friends. 她可能跟几个朋友出去了。

但是,couldn't have done 与 might not (mightn't) have done 的意思可就不同了。前者表示“不可能做了某事”(not 是否定 could 的),后者则表示“可能没有做过某事”(not 是否定其后的实义动词的)。请对比下面的实例：

1. They couldn't have left so soon. 他们不可能那么早就走了。

2. Ann couldn't have seen Tom yesterday. 安昨天不可能见到汤姆。

3. ... her father could not have made such a mistake. ……她父亲不可能犯这样的错误。

4. She could not have been more than sixteen ... 她那时不可能超过 16 岁……

5. We could not have heard them because of the noise from the river. 由于河水的声音我们当时不可能听到他们的谈话。

6. You might not have met my grandfather. 你可能没见过我的祖父。

7. Ann might not have seen Tom yesterday. 安也许昨天没有见到汤姆。

8. She mightn't have known what the bottle contained. 她也许不知道这个瓶子里装着什么。

9. They might not have considered me as their friend. 他们可能未把我看作是他们的朋友。

句意他不可能犯那个错误！(2)他或许没有犯那个错误！

这是个歧义句。

A. might + 完成体不定式表示本可能发生某种动作,但实际上并未发生。这个结构有时用来表示埋怨或训斥(埋怨对方本应该做的事而没有做),这个结构在语义上相当于 should + 完成体不定式或 ought to + 完成体不定式,可以译为“本应该”(If you tell someone that they might have done something, you are telling in an angry way that they ought to have done it.) :

1. You might have let me know before! (Mansfield) 你本应该在以前让我知道!

2. But I think you might have told us half an hour ago. (Shaw) 但是我认为你本该在半小

时前告诉我们。

3. You might have warned me she was coming. (CGEL) 你本应该通知我她要来的。

按照这种理解,你提问的句子的意思是:

他本该明白你是在跟他开玩笑。(He ought to have realized that you were pulling his leg.) B. 情态动词 might + 完成体不定式表示(从现在的观点看来)“可能已发生了某事”(If you say that something might have happened, you mean that it is possible that it happened.)，至于是否发生，说话人并不知道：

1. He might well have said that. (EED) 他很可能说过这样的话。

2. I might have come to a wrong conclusion. (Priestley) 我可能得出了错误的结论。

3. It seems reasonable that Saunière might have chosen to express his disappointment in his final good-bye. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 索尼埃先生在和这个世界道别时想表达一下自己的失望，这倒是可以理解的。（《达·芬奇密码》）按照这种分析，你提问的句子的意思是：

他可能已经明白了你是在跟他开玩笑。

(might have done 的其他含义见 may have done)

might/may 见 may/might

might/might well 见 may/may well

might as well/had better $^{1}$

只能选 C（might as well），而不能选 B，因为 had better 后面要求跟动词原形，不能带 to。此外，had better 表示从许多可做事情中择优的问题，而 might（may）as well 则表示从没有办法中找办法的问题，也就是说，它常常表示“勉强”“迁就”“无奈”的意思。由于班机取消而转乘火车确实是无可奈何的事情。参见 may as well。