My point, though, was that if you gonna complain about "grammatically wrong", you better triple-check how to spell "grammatically". Or "wrong", for that matter.
I hear/read both phrases regularly and they have the same meaning to me. But do they have different meanings? Or is "overly confident" even gramatically correct?
@Carlo_R As I see it, can and may both express permission, but can is more often used to express possibility while may is used more to express likelihood.
I can drink a whole bottle of vodka means I have the capability to do so, but may have no inclination of doing so; I may drink a whole bottle of vodka means I am considering doing so.
But I can also ask my wife: "Can I drink this whole bottle of vodka?" or "May I drink this whole bottle of vodka?" The latter is more polite and, hence, somewhat archaic. But both are requests for permission. Except the first may also be interpreted to mean capability.
@Carlo_R Somewhat. But I think "they may sign the contract" means there is some degree of possibility that they will do so, whereas "they can sign the contract" means they are in a position to do so.
All else being equal.
That is, absent any context that is how I would interpret the two statements.
And remember, "context" can involve very subtle nuances.
@Cerberus Yes. But surprisingly, most native speakers sort out the real meaning without help most of the time. Only occasionally is clarification required.
He is Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011). He was an American actor, best known for his role as Lt. Frank Columbo in the television series Columbo.
Starsky was played by Ben Stiller; Hutch was played by Owen Wilson. The above pictures suggest that Starsky was played by Luke Wilson, and Hutch by Jerry Stiller.
I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be part of popular culture; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.
What if you need money when the banks are closed, or you don't want to waste time waiting for your number after the silly house wife who needs to have internet banking explained?
Let us change the subject. <br /> I have read that no one uses 'shall' in AmE. It's recognizable from the Christian Ten Commandments an legal documents, but no one would naturally use it in speech or writing. <br />Is it true?
@KitFox well having credit card companies amounts to putting a 3% tax on everything, except that it doesn't go to the state but ends up in the pockets of a few managers.
@Cerberus obviously I see many people who ¬x, otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell you with such confidence how much of a drag they are in supermarkets.
@Cerberus the roads are useful to me at least in theory, even if I never leave the building. The gangsters are of no use whatsoever, not even theoretical.
And the difference is that, with roads, everybody would get a tiny scratch every time a car ran over someone, if it were the same as skimming, because banks reimburse people. So it is like a national insurance.
is the expression "I know right" gramatically correct? I hear it alot of times and I think I understand what it means but it just sounds wrong to me.
English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…
English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…