You may be confused about the difference between maybe and may be. Or maybe you’re not. Either way, one space can make the difference between a verb meaning “might be” and an adverb meaning “possibly” or “perhaps.”
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WHAT DOES MAYBE MEAN?
Maybe means “possibly” or “perhaps.” It often functions as an adverb, which in grammatical terms is a word that modifies a verb. Maybe is commonly used to describe the probability of an action happening or not happening—maybe means it might or it might not happen. In other cases, it just means “perhaps.” These senses of maybe can be used anywhere in a sentence—the beginning, middle, or end.
Maybe I’ll join you after all. Do you think maybe we could go home early? This tastes like an apple, or a pear, maybe.
Other senses of the word can stand on their own as an answer to a question. Maybe is famously used as a middle ground between yes and no. If you’re not definitely sure that something is a yes or a no, you can say maybe.
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WHAT DOES MAY BE MEAN?
May be isn’t a single word, nor is it used like one—it’s two separate words used together. Like maybe, it expresses uncertainty, but unlike maybe, it functions as a verb.
It’s essentially the same as might be, and it used to indicate that something is uncertain but has a chance of being true (He may be who he says he is) or being what happens (You may be asked to help).
Sometimes, it can be used to express comparison, as in You may be the top earning employee, but I’m the boss or That may be true, but it’s unkind.
In many cases, you can reword a sentence to use may be instead of maybe, and vice versa.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAYBE AND MAY BE?
Remember, maybe is an adverb, and it’s used alongside verbs or as a standalone answer to a question. May be functions as a verb.
If you can replace the term with possibly or perhaps, use maybe. If you can replace the term with might be, use may be.
From Dictionary.com
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