| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:43 pm Post subject: might well |
 |
|
| Quote: |
| He felt proud of his Jewish origins; if his parents had changed his name to Black, he might well have changed it back to Schwartz. |
What does 'he might well have changed it back to Schwartz.' mean?
Instead of 'might well', can I use 'may well'?
Thanks. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Anuradha Chepur
Joined: 20 May 2006
Posts: 933
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
What does 'he might well have changed it back to Schwartz.' mean?
Instead of 'might well', can I use 'may well'? |
It means it is possible.
Yes, you can say may instead of might, though might is generally used in this kind of a situation. I've mostly come across "might as well have." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
redset
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Yep, may and might are interchangeable when you're talking about something being a possibility. The sentence is saying that because the man was proud of his Jewish origins, if his parents had changed his surname to 'Black' (name changes were common when people emmigrated to countries like the U.S.) then there's a very good chance that he would have changed his name back, as this name represented his Jewish ancestry. ('Schwartz' is the German word for 'black'.) 'Might well' in this case means that it's more than a possibility, it's a strong possibility with strong reasons behind it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
redset
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Heh, beaten again  I think it needs to be mentioned that 'might as well have' has a different meaning - 'he might well have gone home' means that it's very possible that the person went home, whereas 'he might as well have gone home' means that he didn't go home, but it would have been better or equally worthwhile to have done so. If it's a nice day then you might as well leave your umbrella at home - it's probably not going to rain, and at least you won't have to carry the umbrella around! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
