CAE. Modal verbs p.16

Дата публикации: Sep 18, 2016 2:43:31 PM

may (very) well/easily - used for saying that something is fairly likely to be true or is fairly likely to happen

What you say may very well be true.

A small technical error may easily result in a serious accident.

it may well be that: It may well be that the information is not available

1. What's the difference between may and may well in following sentences? Besides, which sentence says it is more likely to rain?

It may rain.

It may well rain.

A:

It may rain.

This means that rain is a possibility; it may happen or it may not.

It may well rain.

This means that rain is a possibility, and that the speaker thinks that there is good reason for it to occur.

For example:

You'd better bring an umbrella; it may well rain today.

Dictionary references:

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

may well

10b. in all likelihood: indeed it may well be true

Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

may well

If you say that something may well happen, you mean that it is likely to happen:

She may well not want to travel alone.