Day 16 Weather words AND ‘Might’, ‘may’ and ‘could’ for possibility

1.Weather words

noun - verb - adjective

rain - rain - rainy

There is a lot of rain; It rains a lot; It’s very rainy

snow - snow - snowy

There is a bit of snow; It snows in winter; It’s a bit snowy

wind - blow - windy

I don’t like wind; The wind blew the trees over; It’s always windy

sun - shine - sunny

The sun is hot today; I wear sunglasses when the sun shines; It’s sunny today

2.‘Might’, ‘may’ and ‘could’ for possibility

Meaning and use

We use might + verb, may + verb or could + verb to talk about the possibility of something in the present or the future, when we are making a guess about a present situation, or we aren’t sure if something will happen in the future.

I might go to the exhibition at the Tate this afternoon. (future)

He’s travelling in Eastern Europe. He may be in Ukraine by now. (present)

We could have some problems later this year. (future)
There is almost no difference in meaning between might, may and could.

We use might not/mightn’t and may not to talk about negative possibility. We don’t usually use a contraction for may not. We cannot use could not/couldn’t for possibility in the same way as might not and may not (see Take note below).

We might not move into the new offices until the New Year.

Our client may not agree with our suggestions.

Form

We use might/may/could + infinitive without ‘to’ or might not/mightn’t/may not + infinitive without ‘to’. They are the same for all persons (I, you, he, she, etc.).

Positive

They are warning that storms could hit most of the country later today.

There might be some delays on the railways as a result.

Negative

Many people may not be able to get to work at all.

It mightn’t affect us as badly as they say.

Question

It is possible to ask questions with Might/May/Could + subject + infinitive without ‘to’, but it is more common to form a question with Do you think + subject + might/may/could + infinitive without ‘to’.

Do you think he might/may/could be in Ukraine by now?

(Might/May/Could he be in Ukraine by now?)

Take note: couldn’t

We don’t use couldn’t in the same way as might not/mightn’t/may not. ‘Couldn’t’ means that something is impossible.

WRONG: I think there couldn’t be any trains today, so I’m going by bus.

CORRECT: I think there mightn’t be any trains today, so I’m going by bus.

Take note: ‘might’, ‘may’ and ‘could’ for permission

Might, may and could for permission are different from might, may and could for possibility. For permission with might, may and could, the question form is Might/May/Could I + infinitive without ‘to’. Might for permission is very formal.

Could/May/Might I come with you to the exhibition?

Spoken English
Might, may and could are modal verbs. When we say modal verbs, we usually say them quicklyhout emphasis. We don’t pronounce the ‘t’ or ‘d’ in might and could or the ‘t’ at the end of mightn’t and couldn’t.

They might get here late.

We mightn’t watch the whole film.

It couldn’t be Pete you saw because he’s in Greece.

3.Vocabulary Reference

meteorological
related to the scientific study of weather

forecast
a statement about what is probably going to happen

keep an eye on
check regularly

symbols
pictures or shapes that represent other things

showers
short periods of rain, usually lasting 5-15 minutes

brolly
informal word for umbrella: an object that you hold over your head to keep you dry when it is raining

downpours
large quantities of heavy rain

dotted across
happening in several different places in an area

a snapshot
a description of something at a particular time

on the fresh side
an informal expression that means the weather feels cold

the mid or high teens
an informal way to describe temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees celsius

foggy
a weather condition where an area is full of thick cloud very close to the ground

bright
(here) sunny with clear skies

going downhill
getting worse

low pressure
a weather condition that usually brings wet weather

low
(here) area of low pressure

the Met Office
short for ‘the Meteorological Office’ - the UK’s national weather service

accurate
correct; without any mistakes

a darker side
a negative and often hidden aspect of something

atmosphere
the air above the Earth

catastrophic
very damaging, sometimes leading to death

frequent
happening very often

ahead of
before

flooding
a situation where lots of water is in a place that should not have water, causing problems and damage

heatwaves
periods of days or weeks when the temperature is very high and is dangerous for people

polar ice caps
the large areas of ice that cover the land and sea around the North and South Poles

melt
to change from solid to liquid when the temperature rises

coastal
on land which is next to the sea

crops
plants grown by farmers

emissions
(here) gasses which are released into the atmosphere by factories, cars, and other machines.

launch
(here) start a big new project

radars
types of systems that use radio signals for finding the exact position of something, for example, an aircraft or clouds

alarmist
worrying people without a good reason or more than is necessary

tracks
(here) direction of travel; route

typhoons
tropical storms with strong winds that move in circles

terms
(here) words and phrases related to a particular topic

geomagnetic storms
major disturbances of Earth’s magnetosphere that happen when there is an exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space around the Earth

virtual
(here) not physically real because it is created by computers

evidence
facts or things that help to show or prove that something is true

current
happening now

coastal
on land by the sea

drought
a long period with no rainfall, which causes the ground to become very dry and can cause living things to die

flooding
a situation where lots of water is in a place that should not have water, causing problems and damage

right away
immediately; now

strategic planning
(here) making very careful plans so that particular things will happen at particular times or in particular situations

schemes
plans that organisations develop to give a particular service to a group of people

tropical
(here) describes a geographical area where the weather is very hot and wet.

disastrous
causing lots of danger or damage

absorb
to take something inside, for example: a sponge absorbs water easily

devastating
causing a lot of damage

hurricane-force
very strong and damaging

tornado
a very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or funnel

took a battering
suffered very badly

From the weather vox pops:
fluffy
(looks like something…) light and full of air

glum
(here) gloomy, not attractive

typical
usually, normally

bolts
(here) flashes (of lightning)

distinction
difference between two things

attributed
(something to someone/something) believed that something is the result of a particular situation, event, or person’s actions

erratic
not following a regular or expected pattern

frost
powdery ice that forms on outside surfaces when the weather is very cold

frostbite
a medical problem caused when very low temperatures damage your fingers, toes and nose

entrepreneur
a person who starts their own company usually in a new industry

incubator
scheme a plan or system to help something grow and develop

survival rate
the percentage of a group that continues to exist

start-up
a business which has recently been started

mentor
give someone advice or training over a period of time

start out
begin working

network
meet people who might be helpful to you in your work

hatchery
a building on a farm, where large numbers of chickens or other animals hatch out of their eggs

initial
first; at the beginning

new recruit
new member of an organisation

turnover
the amount of money a business takes in a particular period

top
(here) exceed; be more than

patent
the legal right to make and/or sell an invention for a certain amount of time

roll-out
making a new product available for the first time

fainted
lost consciousness

took me by surprise
was something I didn’t expect