May you tell me which is right? I can.

5 Interesting Science Fiction Writing... Indie authors should consider using S...

May you tell me which is right? I can.

As I child, did you ever ask your teacher, ��Can I go to the bathroom?�� only to be corrected ��I don��t know, can you?�� You��d look confusedly at her, and she��d say, ��It��s may I go the bathroom.�� You grumbled ��May I go the bathroom?�� and with hall pass in hand head off to do your business.

Yet somehow that lesson didn��t seem to sink in for a lot of writers, who still confuse can and may in adulthood.

Can is a helping verb that means physical or mental ability; to wit, Can Kieran play basketball really well? A form of able or capable always can replace can in a sentence, as in Is Kieran capable of playing basketball really well?

May is a helping verb that requests permission, as in May I go with Mary to the concert, Mom? Or suggests the possibility of, as in Tomorrow may be a snow day.

This distinction between can and may only exists when asking a question. If answering a may question (May I turn the channel? ) with a ��no�� or a denial, you can respond with a version of can:
�� You may not turn the channel.
�� You cannot turn the channel
�� You can��t turn the channel.

Of course, may and can slowly are becoming interchangeable in daily use. A century from now (and maybe sooner), the distinctions outlined here may be archaic. For the time being, when in a formal situation or being polite, always use the grammatically correct version described here.

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