Learn how to use the English modal verb "might"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Ryan: Hey guys, it’s Ryan here. |
| Chihiro: And I’m Chihiro. Remember What You Have to Declare in English at Customs. |
| Ryan: In this lesson, you’ll learn about customs. |
| Chihiro: This conversation takes place at the customs area of the airport. |
| Ryan: The conversation is between Drew and a customs officer. |
| Chihiro: The officer will be speaking formally and Drew will be speaking casually. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Drew: Now for the fun part…what to declare and what not to declare… |
| Officer: Do you have anything in your luggage that you need to declare, sir? |
| Drew: No, nothing at all. |
| Officer: Can you please step to the side, sir, so I can check your bag? |
| Drew: Sure. (opens bag, officer digs around) |
| Officer: You have an apple in here. |
| Drew: Ohhhh yeah! I bought that just before I left the airport in Singapore… I completely forgot to eat it. That's all! |
| Officer: Sir, I'm going to confiscate it for health reasons. |
| Drew: Ohhh…my apple… |
| Officer: You also have a banana in here, sir! |
| Drew: Ohhh yeah! That too! Oops…haha (weak laugh)… |
| Officer: What else do you have in here? |
| Drew: Well…I might have other things now that they're turning up… |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Drew: Now for the fun part…what to declare and what not to declare… |
| Officer: Do you have anything in your luggage that you need to declare, sir? |
| Drew: No, nothing at all. |
| Officer: Can you please step to the side, sir, so I can check your bag? |
| Drew: Sure. (opens bag, officer digs around) |
| Officer: You have an apple in here. |
| Drew: Ohhhh yeah! I bought that just before I left the airport in Singapore… I completely forgot to eat it. That's all! |
| Officer: Sir, I'm going to confiscate it for health reasons. |
| Drew: Ohhh…my apple… |
| Officer: You also have a banana in here, sir! |
| Drew: Ohhh yeah! That too! Oops…haha (weak laugh)… |
| Officer: What else do you have in here? |
| Drew: Well…I might have other things now that they're turning up… |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Chihiro: Okay, everybody, just like immigration, customs can be a slight hassle as well. You should fill out a customs form on the plane to save time when you arrive. |
| Ryan: Yeah, so you can get ahead in those lines. If you have any food with you and you're not sure whether or not you're allowed to bring it with you, it's a good idea to tell the officer just in case. |
| Chihiro: Yes, just declare it and they'll decide whether or not it's okay. |
| Ryan: The officer may even ask you to open your suitcase and show him or her your belongings. |
| Chihiro: Oh yeah, I really don't like that. There's nothing more annoying than having to open your suitcase when you packed it so neatly and having a stranger look through your things.... then you have to try to close it again! |
| Ryan: Haha, yeah, tight packing isn't easy to repack! |
| Chihiro: Yeah, and you want to pack your personal items so that they're neatly tucked away... and not the first thing in sight when you open the suitcase! |
| Ryan: Bad experience, Chihiro? |
| Chihiro: Nothing embarrasses me... |
| Ryan: Yeah sure. Let us know of any experiences you’ve had by leaving us a comment. |
| Chihiro: Yes, please! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Chihiro: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Ryan: to declare [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to say something officially or strongly |
| Ryan: to declare [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to declare [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: step to the side [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: move over to a different area from current position |
| Ryan: step to the side [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: step to the side [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: luggage [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: suitcases and bags for traveling |
| Ryan: luggage [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: luggage [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: to check [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to look at something carefully and make sure that it is fine, to confirm, to look at something to find out some information |
| Ryan: to check [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to check [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: completely [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: thoroughly, entirely |
| Ryan: completely [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: completely [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: to confiscate [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to take something away from a person usually as punishment |
| Ryan: to confiscate [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to confiscate [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: reason [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: explanation of why something is |
| Ryan: reason [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: reason [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: to turn up [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to appear unexpectedly |
| Ryan: to turn up [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to turn up [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: oops [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: exclamation used when a mistake has been made |
| Ryan: oops [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: oops [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: health [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: physical condition |
| Ryan: health [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: health [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Ryan: Let’s have a closer look at the usage for some of words and phrases from this lesson |
| Chihiro: Now, if a customs officer asks, "Do you have anything to declare?" he or she is asking you whether or not you have anything in your belongings that you may not be allowed to bring into the country. |
| Ryan: If you're not sure, the best thing to do is ask because if you get caught lying, the penalty may be serious. |
| Chihiro: Right, so don't try to be sneaky! They'll catch you! |
| Ryan: The next phrase we'll look at is "I'm going to confiscate..." This is another way of saying "I'm going to take away" and we use it in formal situations. |
| Chihiro: Right, the customs officer says this to Drew when she takes away his apple. Notice how the language of the customs officer is very polite at all times. |
| Ryan: Yes, they might get pushy, but they'll still be polite. |
| Chihiro: But I don't want to give immigration and customs officers bad names, I have met some pretty friendly ones too. |
| Ryan: Good point, but we're just preparing the listeners for the worst. |
| Chihiro: Yes, that's the least we can do! Okay, onto the grammar point! |
Lesson focus |
| Ryan: The Focus of This Lesson Is the Modal "Might." |
| Chihiro: Okay, "might" is a modal verb, which is an auxiliary verb or, in other words, helping verb. The speaker uses it when he or she wants to talk about a possibility, but he or she is unsure of it. It goes in front of the main verb. Ryan, can you give us an example from the dialogue? |
| Ryan: Sure, Drew's line was "I might have other things now that they're turning up." |
| Chihiro: Drew uses "might" to express the possibility that he could have more food in his bag, but he's not quite sure. |
| Ryan: So you can use it if you're not completely sure of your statement. Here are other examples using this modal verb. |
| Chihiro: "They might miss the bus." |
| Ryan: Here, the people may be able to catch the bus, or they could miss it. It is unsure. |
| Chihiro: Okay, Ryan, give us another example. |
| Ryan: "She might not like the apple pie." |
| Chihiro: Here, Ryan sounds worried that this special girl will not like apple pie. Hence his baking would have been in vain. Somebody special on your mind Ryan? |
| Ryan: Uh. No. |
| Chihiro: Okay, well, since today's grammar point is fairly easy, we'll give you some common phrases that are often said using "might". |
| Ryan: If somebody says, "you might want to make sure there's a safety net before you jump," |
| Chihiro: They're making a suggestion that is sarcastic. In other words, the person is joking with the other person and saying something that is obvious. |
| Ryan: Or if Chihiro says, |
| Chihiro: "Might I borrow your book?" |
| Ryan: This is a polite way of asking for something. However, since it sounds very polite, it is more common to say "could I borrow your book?" or "can I borrow your book?" |
| Chihiro: Now 'might' is similar to 'may,' but 'might' shows a little more uncertainty than 'may.' |
| Ryan: Yeah, and 'may' sounds just a little more polite to me than 'might'. |
| Chihiro: Yes, I agree with that. |
| Ryan: So, use them interchangeably according to your judgment! |
Outro |
| Chihiro: Okay, that just about does it for today. Okay, we’ll see you all later! |
| Ryan: Bye for now! |
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