While I have a vested interest in the topic and response, the best thing of all is Cecil’s comment!!!
We all have photographic memories, it’s just
that some of us don’t have any film.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000901.html
My God, how can anyone top that. Cecil, you rule!!!
Origato:
Of course, just to pick nits, Cecil was merely citing an old joke.
Probably picking nits, but in the column
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000901.html
Cecil writes,
“Handy though it might be for your next biology exam,”
Isn’t ‘might’ the past tense of ‘may?’ Wouldn’t ‘may’ be more appropriate because of the tense of the sentence?
If anyone is an English major and can stamp this one good or bad, I’d love to know because I always confuse myself on this.
I think the better line is about the “testees faking it”. Sort of reads funny in a psychosexual kind of way.
hussman, “might” is not the past tense of “may.” Might/may are helping verbs that indicate possibility or permission; they don’t stand alone (well, they might, but the main verb is understood):
“Are you going to the store tomorrow?” “I might (go).”
“May I have a cookie?” “Yes, you may (have one).”
Using might/may in the past tense would require a primary verb (which may be understood), e.g.:
“Did you go to the store yesterday?” “I didn’t have any money; otherwise, I might have (gone).”
“I may have thought I was right, but I wasn’t.”
In short, Cecil didn’t use the word incorrectly.