may well 与 may as well辨析

一、

may well

may well

主要用于加强推测的语气，表示具有较大的可能性。

如：

It may well be true.

那很可能是真的。

What you say may well be true.

你说的很可能是事实。

Her grandpa may well be over eighty.

她的祖父可能 已有

80

多岁了。

That may well have been their intention.

这很可能是他们的意图。

【注】

may well

中的

may

也可换成

might

或

could

，但语气更不确定。

如：

He might well lose his job.

他多半会丢了那份工作。

He might [could] well find that the course is too difficult.

他很可能觉得这门课太难。

请看一道考题：

Liza ______ well not want to go on the trip

—

she hates traveling.

A. will B. can

C. must D. may

分析：

may

和

might

后接副词

well

加强语气，意为“很可能”，故选

D

。

二、

may as well

may as well

主要用于表示提议或劝告，意为“不妨”。

如：

I may as well start at once.

我还不妨马上就动身。

If that is the case, I may as well try.

既然如此，我不妨试一试。

Now that you have come you may as well stay.

既然你来了，你就留下。

【注】其中的

may

也可换成

might

，但语气更不确定。

如：

He may [might] as well come with me.

他还不妨跟我一起来。

It’s not very far, so we may [might] as well go on foot.

那地方不太远，所以我们还是走着去吧。