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Pragmatically, May it please the court is an archaic formula expressing the speaker's deference to a presiding judge: an acknowledgment that strictly speaking nothing may occur (and nothing may be omitted) in the courtroom without the judge's permission.
Mar 28, 2024 · “May you please,” although often misconstrued as a polite phrase, is incorrect as “may” cannot be correctly followed by “you” when making a request. Instead, phrases like “may I ask” or “would you mind” are advisable for asking favors or making requests politely.
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- Is It Proper Grammar to Say “May You Please”?
- Alternative Expressions
- Final Thoughts
It is not correct to use the phrase “may you please” because, in essence, the words “may” and “you” cannot follow one another in that order when asking for permission. We can, however, say “May I please” and, in contrast, we can say “You may…,” which means that someone has permission to do something. As an example, the sentence “May you please open...
There are a few alternative phrases that are correct and that we can use instead of the phrase “May you please.” These include the use of other modal verbs such as can, could, will, and would.
The phrase “May you please” is incorrect because you cannot use the word “may” with the second-person pronoun “you” when making a request. However, you can certainly respond to a request by saying, “You may.” The correct alternative when making a request of someone would be to use another modal verb, such as “can,” “could,” “will,” or “would you pl...
(maybe the other person couldn't reach it!), although it is really being used to mean "Would you please pass the salt?". In this case, may is wrong because she is not asking or giving permission: she is making a request. So: may and can are used interchangeably when asking or giving permission.
“May you” means the same as “may you please,” which means they’re both incorrect when used to request something. However, “may you” can be used to make a statement that wishes someone well in some way.
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Mar 28, 2024 · The phrase “may you please” often emerges in conversations, yet it breaches the conventions of grammar in a subtle but significant way. It misaligns the function of “may”—a word classically reserved for seeking permission—with the structure used to convey a request, causing a linguistic mishap.
