Grammar :                                     expressing possibility 

1. Structure

Subject + may + base verb

• Example: It may rain tomorrow. → There is a possibility that it will rain.

2. Uses of “may” for possibility

1. Present or future possibility
   • She may come to the party tonight.
   • I may be late if the traffic is bad.
2. Polite suggestions or permission (less common in modern English for possibility)
   • You may find this book useful. (Here it’s more like “it’s possible that…”)

3. Examples

• They may have forgotten about the meeting. (It’s possible they forgot.)
• The train may arrive early. (There is a chance it will arrive early.)
• We may go to the beach this weekend. (Going to the beach is possible.)

Exercise 9  page 81 :

Exercice 9

a.

1. Il se peut que Piggy soit effrayé parce qu’il a peur de mourir sur cette île.

è Piggy may be scared because he is afraid of dying on this island.

2. Il se peut que les autres enfants ne soient pas morts.

è The other children may not be dead.

3. Il se peut qu’ils trouvent de la nourriture sur cette île.

è They may find food on this island.

b.

1. A ship may come to their rescue.

è Il se peut qu’un navire vienne à leur secours.

2. They may be the only two survivors of a shipwreck.

è Il se peut qu’ils soient les deux seuls survivants d’un naufrage.

3. They may not find any food and die of starvation.

è Il se peut qu’ils ne trouvent pas de nourriture et qu’ils meurent de faim.