Let’s talk possibilities, shall we?
There’s ‘maybe.’
And there is ‘may be.’
Both refer to possibilities.
Both are different.
Here’s a simple way to use the words.
Use ‘maybe’ when you mean ‘possibly.’ (single word)
Use ‘may be’ when you mean ‘might be.’ (two words)
Let’s look at a few examples:
- Maybe five more people will register for my course.
Five more people may be registering for my course.
- Thanks for inviting me. Maybe I can make a quick visit to the art gallery.
Thanks for inviting me. I may be able to make a quick visit to the art gallery.
- Maybe a library is a better idea.
A library may be a better idea.
In each sentence, see which works better; possibly or might be.
You’ll also notice that the sentence structure changes a little – not the meaning – when you change the word(s).