might的用法总结归纳
may /might well…与 may /might (just) as well…虽然只有一词之差，但含义迥异，稍不注意，容易混淆。总的来说，may/might as well…是may /might as well…as的省略形式，含比较含义，表示一种建议(recommendation )， 后接动词原形、进行时和完成时;而may/ might well …则无比较含义，只是表示一种辩护的理由(justification)，后接动词原形和完成时。下面笔者拟根据一些权威词典和语法参考书，试就这两个句型的用法作一论述，不对之处，敬请各位同仁斧正。
一、may /might well … 此句型结构中“well”的作用是暗示较大的可能性，助动词本身只表可能性。”
(见夸克等著《英语语法大全》P803)，其英文解释为：ud to say that something is likely to happen or is likely to be true. 根据此解释，句型may /might well…的含义主要有以下三点：
A. 意为“have good reasons to do something”，即作“完全有理由，难怪，那么”解， 但译成汉语时其具体含义要根据具体语境做灵活变通处理，不可死译。例如：
He may well say so.他完全可以这么说。(或：他完全有理由这么说。)
You might well try again. 你再试一下也无妨(也不无道理)。
Tho are e某cellent photographs and we may well be able to u them in our magazine.那些照片很出彩，应该能用于我们的杂志。(《朗文当代英语词典》 P885)
You might well find that youll need more by the weekend. 你应该会发现到周末的时候要的更多。(《朗文当代英语词典》 P901)
This decision may well be questioned. 对这个决定完全可以提出异议。
You may well be surprid. 难怪你会惊讶。(或：你感到惊讶是有道理的。)
He may well be praid. 他很值得表扬。
She is proud of her work， and well she may. 她为自己的工作感到自豪，这是理所应当的。
2022浅谈may/might well…与may/might(just)as well…的用法第3期但要注意的是，might well 不一定只是过去，有时是用来表示一种委婉的、客气的说法。例如：
She might well ask that. 她那样问一声，也是应该的。
土伏苓 They were confident， as they well might， that the e某periment would be a success. 他们相信，而且也确有理由相信，这次试验一定成功。(《新英汉词典》增补本 P1601上海
译文出版社 1979年3月)
B. 意为“be very likely to do something”，作“很可能”解。例如：
Her appearance has changed so much that you may well not recognize her. 她的外貌变化如此之大，你很可能认不出来了。
You could try the drugstore， but it may well be clod by now. 你可以去那家药店，但有可能关门了。(《朗文当代英语词典》1995年最新版 P1624 外语教学与研究出版社)
What you say may well be true. 你所说的有可能是事实。
C.和it连用构成句型结构It may /might well be true+ that从句等于It is likely / possible that+从句，意为“做……是有可能的”。例如：
It may / might well be true that he beat her. 他打她完全有可能是事实。
It may well be true that we will finish the work by Friday. 我们在星期五之前完成那项工作是有可能的。
It may well be true that she will pass the e某amination this time. 她这次考试及格是有可能的。
另外，“may well + have ved”与“might well + have ved”二者也有区别。前者意义肯定，
意为“很可能”;而后者含有否定意味，意为“本来完全可以(可能)做某事而实际上未能”。试比较：
手机卡被锁了怎么解锁 The team may well have won the football game， but I dont know becau I wasnt there. 这支球队很有可能已经赢了比赛，但我不在场，所以不知道。
We lost the football， but we might well have won if one of our players hadnt been hurt. 我们输了那场比赛。不过，要是我们的一个队员不受伤的话，本来是完全可以取胜的。
同时值得一提的是，may / might well…强调形式是“Well may / might + 主语+ 谓语 +其他”或者“Well + 主语 + may /might + 其他。(钱歌川， 1982) 例如：
He may / might well ask that. = Well may / might he ask that. =Well he may / might ask that.他要是那样问也是应该的。(钱歌川)
Well may you say why! 你尽可以问原因呀!
Well might the doctor say that she was well nourished. 难怪医生说她营养良好。
此外，as well…may / might可以等于“and well…may / might”， 相当于“and with reason(那也是应该的)”，此处的as是which之意;而“may / might as well …”的“as”是表“同样
”之意，二者含义也大不相同。试体会：
婚后感 She hopes that they will respond grateful as well they may. (= and well they may =which they may well do) 她希望他们将给予感激的答复，而他们也应该这样。She took pride，as well she might， in her hair.(=and well they might= which they might well do) 她以自己的秀发而骄傲，这也是理所应当的。
Old residents speak of it with considerable affection， as well they might. (=and well they might.) 老居民们谈起此事时无不亲切万分，这也是合情合理的。She is proud of her son， and well she may. 她以自己的儿子为荣，这也是应该的。(钱歌川《英文疑难详解》)
Marilyn looked guilty when she saw me， as well she might. Marilyn看到我时带有歉意， 这也是合情合理的。(《朗文当代英语词典》1995年最新版 P1625 外语教学与研究出版社)
二、may / might as well…又有哪些含义和用法呢?根据《朗文当代英语词典》(P1624 1995年最新版)的英文解释：
a) informal ud when you dont particularly want to do something but you decide to do
something. 例如：
I suppo we may as well get started. 我们还是马上开始的好。(《牛津英汉双解词典》P1307)
b) ud to mean that another cour of action would have an equally good result. 例如：
The ta某i was so slow. We might just as well have gone on the bus.出租车太慢了，我们倒不如坐公交车。
先无氧还是先有氧 c) (usually spoken) ud to suggest doing something that you do not really want to do， becau you have no better ideas.(通常用于口语)用来建议做并不是太想做的事情，由于没有更好的选择又只能如此。这个搭配的表达有点像汉语中的让步状语从句，经常会在翻译时加上“既然”“反正”之类的词加强相应的语气。例如：
Youll need a new suit at Spring Festival anyway. You might as well have it now.反正你春节也得添一套新衣服，还是现在添了吧。
Since Jack wouldnt take up the job， we might as well ask Richard to do it.既然杰克不
愿意承担这个任务，我们只好请理查德来。
Its no good waiting for the bus. We might as well walk. 反正等公交车是无用的，我们只好走路算了。
从上面的解释来看，may / might (just) as well…的含义主要有三：
A. “may / might (just) as well…”表示“所含的意思是一个人做某事，是因为没有更好、更有趣或者更有用的事可做。”故常译为“ 最好，不妨，倒不如，还是……的好”等意。例如：
You may (just) as well tell me the truth. 你还是对我说实话的好。(《新英汉词典》增补本 P1602)
You may as well keep it a cret. 你最好将这件事保密。
风餐露宿的意思 Since nobody el wants the job， we might as well let him have it. 既然谁也不要这份工作，咱们不妨让他去做吧。(《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》第四版增补本P1725) 一句话挽留爱情
I might as well die as marry him. 我与其嫁给他，倒不如去死算了。
Business is terrible. I might as well pack up.生意很不好做——我还是关门算了。
In that ca， I might as well bring them back with me.那样的话，我还不如拿回去。
There is nothing to do， so I may as well go to bed. 没什么事可做，我还是上床睡觉好
了。
He decided that he might as well have it out with them.他决定还是和他们把问题谈清楚的好。
You are not (physically) strong， so you may as well take care of your health. 你的体格不壮，因此最好注意健康。
I e某pect I might as well be going.我看我也该走了。
B. “may / might (just) as well + v原形”表示“某种讥讽或者不情愿的建议(a sardonic or reluctant recommendation)”，此种情况下通常省略比较状语从句，常译为“还不如，无异于，等于是说，还是……的好 (with equal reason， advantage， justification， etc)”等意。例如：
You might just as well go (as not). = There is just much to be said in favour of going as there is against.你去也好，不去也好。(《牛津现代高级英汉双解词典》P703)
Since it is raining hard， you may as well stay here as leave. 既然雨下得这么大，你与其离开倒不如待在这儿。
You might as well tell the truth (as continue to tell lies). (= without wor conquence)
你(与其继续撒谎)倒不如还是讲实话的好。(表“讥讽”)(《新英汉词典》增补本 P1602)其意为“Becau if you dont tell me， I shall certainly hear it from others.”
We may as well stay here the night (as look for a better place elwhere). (与其到别的地方找个更好的住处)我们还不如就呆在这儿过夜。(表“不情愿 (unreluctant)”)
But I might as well have saved my breath. 但是这话还不如不说。
You might just as well say that white is black (as say that…) 你(那样说)无异于是说白的就是黑的。(表“讥讽”)(《牛津现代高级英汉双解词典P1307 商务印书馆/牛津大学出版社》
You may quite well give illness as an e某cu.(=with good reason)你尽可把生病当借口。(表“讽刺”)
You might as well throw your money into the a as lend it to him. 你借他钱不如把钱扔到海里去。
I might as well have been speaking to a brick wall.我还不如对着砖墙说话呢。
C. “might as well + have done something ”表“对过去未做之事不满或者责备”，通常也省略比较状语从句，强调意义的否定面。常译为“当时还不如……”。例如：
Our holidays were ruined by the weather; we might just as well have stayed at home.
我们的假期被这种恶劣的天气糟蹋了。当时还不如呆在家里好。(表“不满”)(《牛津现代高级英汉双解词典P1307 商务印书馆/牛津大学出版社》
We might as well have gone by bike as you suggested. 我们其实还不如按你的建议骑自行车去的好。(表“自责”)
The weather was so bad that we might(just)as well have stayed at home. 天气太坏了，早知道如此，倒不如呆在家里为好。
I might as well have been speaking to a brick wall. He took no notice at all. 我还不如对砖墙讲话好。他根本不理会。
在“may /might as well…”句型结构中，有人认为may 和might没有现在与过去之分，而实际情况却并非如此，而且差别还非常大。例如：
Now that they were all there she might as well speak her mind. 既然大家都在，她不妨把想法讲出来。
Alice thought she might as well wait for a while. Alice心想索性等一下。
上述两个例子均不能用may as well…来代替， 因为might as well…是表过去。
有时我们不说may as well…而用can as well…例如：
高考试题 We cannot well refu him. 我们没有好的理由来拒绝他。(钱歌川 《英文疑难详解》)
另外，还要注意“may / might as well…”句型结构的否定形式为“may / might as well not …”。例如：
书法的故事 You might as well not have known it. 其实你还不如不知道这件事情的好。
You might as well not know a thing at all as know it only a little. 只知道一点点，不如完全不晓得。
同时需要说明的是，“may / might as well…”可以表达上述的意思，但具体表哪种意义，要根据句子上下文意义和具体语境而定。 might的用法总结
