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Jul 3, 2019 · In English grammar, defective verb is a traditional term for a verb that doesn't exhibit all the typical forms of a conventional verb. English modal verbs ( can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and would) are defective in that they lack distinctive third-person singular and nonfinite forms.
May comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb): It may be possible for him to get home tonight. May can’t be used with another modal verb: This may hurt you. Not: This may could hurt you. or This could may hurt you.
may. 'may' is the model of its conjugation. This defective modal helping verb exists only in the present and preterit tenses. It is followed by a main verb in the bare infinitive, or by [ have + past participle]. Both the present and the preterit may be used in combination with [ have + past participle] to express a guess or a possibility about ...
4 days ago · Defective verb. In linguistics, a defective verb is a verb that either lacks a conjugated form or entails incomplete conjugation, and thus cannot be conjugated for certain grammatical tenses, aspects, persons, genders, or moods that the majority of verbs or a "normal" or regular verb in a particular language can be conjugated for [citation ...
4 days ago · May is now a defective verb. It has no infinitive, no past participle, and no future tense. Forms of to be allowed to are used to replace these missing tenses. The simple past (both indicative and subjunctive) of may is might.
'may' and 'might' Level: beginner. We use may: when we are not sure about something in the present or future: Jack may be coming to see us tomorrow. (= Perhaps Jack will come to see us tomorrow.) Oh dear! It's half past ten. We may be late for the meeting. (= Perhaps we will be late for the meeting.) She's had no sleep.
A defective verb is a verb that cannot be used in all moods or tenses. Irregular verbs have all moods and tenses, but are irregularly formed. Regular verbs consist of three main parts (root/present, simple past, and past participle).
