He couldn't help laughing.

/ can't help doing means не могу удержаться от... or не могу
не делать (чего-то).

b) I can't but ask him about it.
They couldn't but refuse him.

/ can't but do something means {мне) ничего другого не оста
ется, как....

c) Не can't possibly do it.

I couldn't possibly refuse him.

I can't (couldn't) possibly do means просто не могу (не мог)
сделать....

may

§ 82. The modal verb may has the following forms: may — the
present tense (e.g. It may be true) and might — the Past tense.
The form might is used in two ways: a) in past-time contexts,
mainly in reported speech in accordance with the rules of the se-
quence of tenses (e.g. He told me that it might be true) and b) in
present-time contexts as a milder and more polite form of may, or
as a form implying more uncertainty than may (e.g. Might I come
and see you? It might be true), or to express unreality (e.g. He
might have fallen ill if he hadn't taken the pills).

§ 83. May has the following meanings:
1) supposition implying uncertainty,

e.g. He may be busy getting ready for his trip.

In Russian this meaning is generally rendered by means of the
modal adverbs возможно and может быть.

In English this meaning may also be rendered by means of the
attitudinal adverbs perhaps and maybe.

In the meaning of supposition implying uncertainty the verb
may occurs in affirmative and negative sentences.

e.g. He may be at home.

He may not be at home. (Возможно, что его нет дома. Мо-
жет быть, его нет дома.)

In this meaning may can be followed by different forms of the
infinitive depending on the time reference expressed.

May in combination with the simple infinitive usually refers
the action to the future.

e.g. He may come soon.

The action may also refer to the present but only with stative
verbs.

e.g. He may be ill.

He may not know about it.

May in combination with the Continuous infinitive of dynamic
Verbs refers the action to the present.

e.g. It's too late to phone him now. He may be sleeping.

I never see him about now. For all I know, he may be writing
a book.

May in combination with the Perfect infinitive refers the ac-
tion to the past.

e.g. He may have fallen ill.

"What's happened to the dog?" I said. "It isn't here. His
master may have taken it with him."

The combination of may with the Perfect infinitive may also
indicate an action begun in the past and continued into the mo-
ment of speaking. This is usually found with stative verbs.

e.g. He may have been at home for about two hours.

However, if may is followed by a dynamic verb, the Perfect
Continuous infinitive is used.

e.g. He may have been waiting for us for an hour.

In the meaning of supposition implying uncertainty, the form
might is also found. It differs from the form may in that it em-
phasizes the idea of uncertainty. It may be followed by the sim-
ple, Continuous or Perfect infinitive.

e.g. He might come soon.
He might be ill.

He might be doing his lessons now.
He might have spoken to her yesterday.

2) possibility due to circumstances,

e.g. You may order a taxi by telephone.

A useful rough-and-ready rule is that time adverbs may come
at either end of the sentence, but not in the middle.

May in this meaning occurs only in affirmative sentences and
is followed only by the simple infinitive.

The form might is used in past-time contexts in accordance
with the rules of the sequence of tenses.

e.g. He said he might order a taxi by telephone.

Might followed by the Perfect infinitive indicates that the ac-
tion was not carried out owing to certain circumstances (ex-
pressed in the sentence or implied).

e.g. He might have fallen ill if he hadn't taken the medicine.
Luckily he wasn't driving the car. He might have been hurt.
You are so careless. You might have broken the cup. (Ты чуть
было не разбил чашку.)

3) permission,

e.g. The director is alone now. So you may see him now.

May in this meaning is found in affirmative sentences, in in-
terrogative sentences which usually express a request, and in nega-
tive sentences where it denotes prohibition. But in negative sen-
tences it is not common as prohibition is generally expressed by
other modal verbs (see can and must).

e.g. You may smoke in here.
May I smoke in here?
You may not smoke in here.

In this meaning may is combined only with the simple infinitive.
In interrogative sentences the form might is also found when
we wish to express a more polite request.

e.g. Might I join you?

In reported speech the form might is used.

e.g. He told me that I might smoke in the room.
He asked me if he might join us.

4) disapproval or reproach,

e.g. You might carry the parcel for me.
You might have helped me.

Here we find only the form might used in affirmative sentenc-
es and followed by the simple or Perfect infinitive. In the latter
case it expresses reproach for the non-performance of an action.

§ 84. The form might which expresses unreality is not always
Parallel to may.

Might expresses unreality only in combination with the Per-
fect infinitive.

e.g. You might have let me know about it beforehand.

There was a car accident in front of our house. Luckily
Tommy was at school. He might have been killed.

In most cases might is used as a milder and more polite form than
may (a) or as a form implying a greater degree of uncertainty (b):

a) permission — May I speak to him now?

Might I speak to him now? (very polite)

b) supposition — He may come a little later.

He might come a little later, (less certain)

The two forms are not opposed in the meaning of possibility
due to circumstances where only may is used, nor in the meaning
of disapproval or reproach where might alone is found.

e.g. You may find the book at the library.

You might have considered your parents' feelings.

§ 85. Notice the following set phrases with may and might:

a) May as well (might as well, might just as well) + infinitive
is a very mild and unemphatic way of expressing an intention. It is
also used to suggest or recommend an action.

e.g. I may as well take the child with me. (Я, пожалуй, возьму
ребенка с собой. Пожалуй, будет лучше, если я возьму
ребенка с собой.)

You may as well give him the letter.

I might as well stay at home tonight,

"I'll go at six." "That's far too late; you might just as well
not go at all." (Можно было бы и не ходить туда совсем.)

b) It might have been worse means 'Things are not so bad after
all.' In Russian it is rendered as: Могло бы быть и хуже or В
конце концов дела обстоят не так уж плохо.

c) Не might have been a... means 'He might have been taken
for a...', 'He looked like a....'

e.g. Roy Wilson, the new doctor, was twenty-eight, large, heavy
mature and blond. He might have been a Scandinavian sailor-

d) / f / may say so... has become a stereotyped phrase in which
the meaning of permission is considerably weakened.

e.g. If I may say so, I think you have treated him very badly.

§ 86. In addition to the above cases illustrating the independent
use of may, this modal verb occurs in subordinate object clauses
after expressions of fear as well as in adverbial clauses of purpose
and concession. Here it is structurally dependent (for a detailed
treatment of this use of may see "Verbs", §§ 135, 143, 152).

e.g. I fear he may fall ill.

He is coming here so that they may discuss it without delay.
However cold it may be, we'll go skiing.

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