# Photographic Memory

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [September 5, 2000, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038 "2000-09-05T03:20:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Origato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b2d939/32.png) [@Origato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Origato)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038/1 "2000-09-05T03:20:54Z")

</div>

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](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000901.html)

My God, how can anyone top that. Cecil, you rule!!!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038/2 "2000-09-05T17:54:35Z")

</div>

Origato:

> [@](#):
>
> …the best thing of all is Cecil’s comment!!!

Of course, just to pick nits, Cecil was merely citing an old joke.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hussman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@hussman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hussman)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038/3 "2000-09-06T16:12:59Z")

</div>

Probably picking nits, but in the column

[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000901.html](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.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rocket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Rocket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocket)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038/4 "2000-09-07T16:38:08Z")

</div>

I think the better line is about the “testees faking it”. Sort of reads funny in a psychosexual kind of way.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2000, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory/32038/5 "2000-09-08T21:49:01Z")

</div>

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.