‘Might’ and ‘Must’ are two words in the English dictionary. These two words are used by a person in the sentence when it is needed to speculate something to someone regarding a specific thing.
Might vs Must
When the word Might is used in a sentence, it denotes a sense of power that is accountable or a special force that a person influences on another person, and on the other hand, the word Must is used in a sentence, it denotes that a sure thing is mandatory or is essential for something to happen by a person.
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The word ‘might’ is used in a sentence by a person to indicate that something may or may not happen depending on the performance of a specific situation at a particular time. This word is usually used to say that something may happen, but it’s not sure.
The word ‘Must’ is used in a sentence to indicate that something at some particular time is significant to be done or that something is necessary for something to happen or not happen. It shows a firm intention of doing or telling to do something.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Might | Must |
|---|---|---|
| What it denotes | When the word Might is used in a sentence, it denotes a sense of power that is accountable or a special force that a person influences another person. | When the word Must is used in a sentence, it denotes that a sure thing is mandatory or essential for something to happen to a person. |
| Degree of intensity | The degree of intensity for doing something in ‘Might’ is less than ‘must’. | Doing something in ‘must’ is more intense than ‘might’. |
| Function | The use of ‘Might’ in a sentence denotes a possibility of an event happening without certainty. | The use of must in a sentence denotes the obligation of an event with certainty. |
| Type of communication | ‘Might’ is a more formal way of talking. | ‘Must’ is an informal way of talking. |
| Example | We might go to the park tomorrow. | We must wash our hands before eating food. |
What is Might?
The word ‘might’ is used in a sentence by a person to indicate that something may or may not happen depending on the performance of a specific situation to a particular period. This word is usually used to say that something may happen, but it’s not sure.
The word ‘Might’ is used in a sentence. It denotes a sense of power that is accountable or a special force that a person influences another person.
Following are some examples where the word ‘Might’ is used in a sentence-
- I might go to the party tomorrow.
- She might cancel the test tomorrow.
- He might not have been attentive in class at that time.
- I might have been at the English class that day.
- We all might go to the park tomorrow for a picnic.
What is Must?
The word ‘Must’ is used in a sentence to indicate that something at some particular time is significant to be done or that something is necessary for something to happen or not happen. It shows a firm intention of doing or telling to do something.
The word Must is used in a sentence. It denotes that a sure thing is mandatory or essential for something to happen to a person.
Following are some examples where the word ‘Must’ is used in a sentence-
- She must attend online lectures every day of her classes.
- You all must surely be there at our wedding.
- You must be so tired today!
- Wearing a mask for today is a must outside the road.
Main Differences Between Might and Must
- When the word Might is used in a sentence, it denotes a sense of power which is accountable or a special force that a person influences another person. On the other hand, when the word Must is used in a sentence, it denotes that a certain thing is mandatory or is essential for something to happen by a person.
- The degree of intensity for doing something in ‘Might’ is less than ‘must’; on the other hand, the degree of power of doing something in ‘must’ is more than ‘might’.
- The use of ‘Might’ in a sentence denotes a possibility of an event happening without certainty. On the other hand, the use of must in a sentence indicates the obligation of an affair with confidence.
- I might not go to school tomorrow is an example of the word ‘Might’ in a sentence, and on the other hand, I must go to school tomorrow is an example of the word ‘Must’ in a sentence.
- Might is a more formal way of talking, and conversely, must is an informal way of speaking.
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF02295996.pdf
- http://www.cetla.howard.edu/workshops/docs/The%20Difference%20Between%20Emergency%20Remote%20Teaching%20and%20Online%20Learning%20_%20EDUCAUSE%20(2).pdf
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
