List of English Words With Disputed Usage - M

M

• may and might – "May" should only be used where the event in question is still possible, not for something that was possible in the past, or for a hypothetical present possibility. "Might" is properly the past tense form of "may". (In similar fashion, "could", "should", and "would" are all past tense forms for "can", "shall", and "will", respectively.)
  • Undisputed usage: My brother may have gone to China last week (perhaps he did)
  • Disputed usage: If he had not been prevented, my brother may have gone to China last week (but he didn't)
  • Undisputed usage: If he had not been prevented, my brother might have gone to China last week.
  • Disputed usage: He thought it may be true (but it wasn't)
  • Undisputed usage: He thought it might be true.

• meet – Some prescriptivists state that as a transitive verb in the context "to come together by chance or arrangement", meet (as in meet (someone)) does not require a preposition between verb and object; the phrase meet with (someone) is deemed incorrect. Chambers flags this usage "US"; RH allows it in the sense of "to join, as for conference or instruction: I met with her an hour a day until we solved the problem." On the other hand, none of M-W, AHD4, or COD11 entertains this usage. NOTE: In the sense of fulfilling prerequisites or criteria (We met with the entry requirements), or that of encountering (Our suggestions may meet with opposition; the soldiers met with machine-gun fire), the verb phrase meet with is not in dispute.
  • Disputed usage: I will meet with you tonight.
  • Undisputed usage: I will meet you tonight.

• momentarily – Traditionally, momentarily means "for a moment", but its use to mean "in a moment" is sometimes disputed. M-W and RH give this latter usage a standard entry without comment, while OED and Chambers tag it "N.Amer." AHD5 has a usage note indicating that 68% of their Usage Panel deems this usage "acceptable".
  • Disputed usage: Ladies and gentlemen, the captain wishes to inform you the plane will be in the air momentarily.
  • Undisputed usage: The flash from the atom bomb momentarily lit up the night sky.