Ever find yourself hesitating between “He might be late” and “He could be late,” wondering if there’s a secret rule you missed in school? You’re not alone. This subtle distinction is a gateway to a fascinating area of grammar: how we express certainty, possibility, and obligation.
Language isn’t just for stating cold, hard facts. It’s a flexible tool for conveying our beliefs, doubts, wishes, and commands. English accomplishes this through two parallel systems that often get confused: grammatical mood and lexical modality. They might sound like technical jargon, but understanding them unlocks a deeper appreciation for the nuance in our everyday speech. Let’s break it down.
At its core, mood (or mode) is a grammatical feature of a verb. It’s not about adding extra words; it’s about changing the verb’s form or structure to signal the speaker’s attitude toward what they’re saying. Think of it as the verb dressing up for a different occasion—a statement of fact, a command, or a hypothetical situation.
In modern English, we primarily use three moods:
This is your default setting. The indicative mood is used to state facts, express opinions, and ask questions. 99% of the sentences you speak or write will be in the indicative mood. It deals with the world as we perceive it to be.
The imperative mood is for giving commands, instructions, or making requests. It’s direct and to the point. The verb is used in its base form, and the subject (usually “you”) is implied.
Here’s where things get interesting. The subjunctive mood is the mood of unreality. It expresses things that are not true, hypothetical, wished for, or demanded. It was once a powerhouse in English, but its use has dwindled, making it feel formal or even a bit archaic today. However, it’s still alive and kicking in certain structures.
You’ll recognize it by its distinct verb forms, most famously using “were” instead of “was” and the base form of the verb where you’d expect an “-s”.
The subjunctive is a structural, grammatical way to signal that we’ve left the realm of reality. But English has another, more common way to do the same thing.
If mood changes the verb itself, modality adds a new word to the mix. Modality is the system of using helper verbs—called modal verbs—to express degrees of certainty, possibility, ability, permission, or obligation.
This is where our day-to-day expressions of nuance come from. The main modal verbs are:
can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
Linguists often sort these into different types of modality:
This is about how certain we are about something. It relates to knowledge and possibility.
This type of modality deals with obligation, permission, and prohibition.
So, what’s the real difference? Think of it this way:
Consider this classic subjunctive sentence:
“I suggest that he go“. (Subjunctive Mood)
In modern, everyday English, you’re far more likely to hear it expressed using a modal verb:
“I suggest that he should go“. (Lexical Modality)
Both are correct, but the second one uses the modal system that we are now more comfortable with. Modality gives us a whole palette of colors to paint with, whereas mood gives us a few structural choices.
We can finally answer our opening question. “He might be late” and “He could be late” are both examples of epistemic modality. They both express possibility.
In most contexts, they are virtually interchangeable. The difference in meaning is incredibly slight and often depends more on the speaker and context than on a hard-and-fast rule.
If we are forced to find a difference, some linguists and style guides suggest a subtle one:
But be careful! Could also serves as the past tense of can (“When I was young, I could run very fast”), a function might doesn’t have. Context is everything.
The takeaway? For expressing future possibility, don’t lose sleep over might vs. could. They are two different tools in the modality toolbox that do a very similar job.
Understanding the difference between mood and modality is more than just a grammar lesson. It reveals the elegant way language evolves. While the grammatical subjunctive mood has faded, our need to express uncertainty hasn’t. Instead, we’ve developed a rich and flexible system of modal verbs to do the heavy lifting.
By mastering both, you become a more precise communicator—knowing when to use the formal, structural power of the subjunctive (“If I were king…”) and when to use the subtle, everyday nuance of modality (“Well, I guess he might be king… one day”).
While speakers from Delhi and Lahore can converse with ease, their national languages, Hindi and…
How do you communicate when you can neither see nor hear? This post explores the…
Consider the classic riddle: "I saw a man on a hill with a telescope." This…
Forget sterile museum displays of emperors and epic battles. The true, unfiltered history of humanity…
Can a font choice really cost a company millions? From a single misplaced letter that…
Ever wonder why 'knight' has a 'k' or 'island' has an 's'? The answer isn't…
This website uses cookies.