maybe | perhaps – English Grammar Profiler

“Maybe” and the more formal “perhaps” are both adverbs that convey modality related to uncertainty or possibility.  For example:

So why did we keep trying when all the adults said it was impossible?
Well, maybe it‘s because we‘re kids.
We don’t know any better.

TED

In this context, “maybe” is used to suggest a possible explanation or reason for why the kids kept trying despite the adults saying it was impossible. The speaker is speculating that their youthful ignorance or innocence might be the reason they continued to try. They didn’t fully understand the concept of impossibility as the adults did, so they kept trying. It’s a way of expressing a hypothesis or theory. So, “maybe” here introduces a conjecture or a potential answer to the question posed.

But perhaps the most important lesson was: 

a private life makes a public life worth living.

TED

In the given context, “perhaps” is used as an adverb to express a degree of uncertainty or doubt. The speaker is not completely sure but believes that “a private life makes a public life worth living” could be the most important lesson. The use of “perhaps” here indicates that this is an opinion or belief, and there might be other important lessons as well. It adds a tone of modesty to the statement.

Profiling Research

Here are two points in the English Grammar Profile (EGP) that overlap,

A2 point 13 in the category of MODALITY/adverbs is defined:

certainty and possibility (‘maybe’, ‘perhaps’), before a clause or ellipted clause.

All the examples in the EGP that are not before a clause are before prepositional phrases or noun phrases.

A2 point 22 in the category of ADVERBS modifiers:

limited range of adverbs (‘maybe’, ‘perhaps’) to indicate degrees of certainty.

*Note that we have covered ‘maybe‘ in more detail elsewhere because it is also listed at A1.

And ‘perhaps’ is A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile, regardless of position.

An iWeb search for:

. maybe|perhaps * * *

1 . MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE 2541 2 . MAYBE IT’S THE 2491

3 . MAYBE IT’S JUST 2351

Maybe it’s just a rumor.

listen

4 . MAYBE IT’S A 2103 5 . MAYBE YOU WANT TO 1979 6 . MAYBE THAT’S WHY 1958

7 . MAYBE IT WAS THE 1669

8 . PERHAPS ONE OF THE 1550

PELIC STUDENT:

Perhaps one of the most controversial rules is the death penalty.

Arabic male level 5 writing class.

9 . MAYBE I’M JUST 1351

Maybe I‘m just a little tired.

listen

10 . PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, 1344

And finally, perhaps most importantly, 

if you‘re a parent, 

you should be playing games with your kids 

to understand the world that they‘re growing up in

 and to have a conversation with them 

about the role that they might play in it.

TED

11 . PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT 1256

12 . MAYBE IT’S TIME 1217 13 . MAYBE YOU HAVE A 1191 14 . MAYBE I NEED TO 1106 15 . MAYBE THERE IS A 1103 16 . PERHAPS THIS IS WHY 1097 17 . PERHAPS THERE IS A 985 18 . MAYBE YOU NEED TO 980

19 . MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE 946

20 . MAYBE IT WAS A 928 21 . PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY , 916 22 . PERHAPS IT WAS THE 899

23 . MAYBE IT WAS JUST 898

24 . MAYBE IT’S NOT 883 25 . PERHAPS THAT’S WHY 868 26 . PERHAPS YOU WANT TO 856 27 . MAYBE YOU DON’T 846 28 . MAYBE THERE’S A 845 29 . PERHAPS THIS IS THE 833

30 . MAYBE, JUST MAYBE 809

31 . PERHAPS IT WOULD BE 790 32 . PERHAPS THAT IS WHY 781 33 . PERHAPS IT’S BECAUSE 777 34 . MAYBE THIS IS THE 767 35 . MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE 764 36 . PERHAPS IT’S THE 762 37 . PERHAPS IT IS THE 744 38 . MAYBE IT WOULD BE 736

39 . PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS 707

40 . PERHAPS THIS IS A 705 41 . MAYBE IT WILL BE 698 42 . MAYBE THIS IS A 697 43 . PERHAPS THIS IS BECAUSE 694 44 . MAYBE THAT’S THE 667 45 . MAYBE YOU DON’T 638 46 . MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE 625 47 . PERHAPS YOU HAVE A 623 48 . PERHAPS IT IS A 620 49 . PERHAPS YOU NEED TO 616 50 . PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE 601 51 . MAYBE ONE OF THE 599 52 . PERHAPS IT’S A 595 53 . MAYBE IT IS A 583 54 . MAYBE IT IS THE 581 55 . MAYBE THAT’S WHAT 571

56 . MAYBE IN THE FUTURE 566

57 . PERHAPS IT WAS A 555 58 . MAYBE I’M WRONG 554 59 . MAYBE THAT IS WHY 550

60 . MAYBE I SHOULD JUST 544

61 . MAYBE I’LL TRY 528 62 . MAYBE THEY DON’T 521 63 . MAYBE THIS IS WHY 516 64 . PERHAPS IT’S TIME 507 65 . MAYBE SOME OF THE 504

66 . MAYBE IT IS JUST 490

67 . PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE 490 68 . PERHAPS IT IS TIME 489 69 . MAYBE ONE DAY I 484 70 . MAYBE ITS TIME TO 476 71 . MAYBE ITS BECAUSE I 467

72 . PERHAPS THE BEST WAY 459

73 . MAYBE IT IS TIME 436 74 . MAYBE WE NEED TO 434

75 . MAYBE IT’S JUST ME 426

76 . MAYBE THAT’S BECAUSE 426 77 . MAYBE YOU CAN GET 418 78 . PERHAPS IT WAS BECAUSE 412

79 . PERHAPS THE MOST INTERESTING 411

80 . MAYBE I’LL JUST 385
81 . MAYBE THAT’S JUST 385 82 . MAYBE I’LL GET 382 83 . MAYBE I’M NOT 382

84 . PERHAPS IT’S JUST 372

85 . PERHAPS SOME OF THE 370

86 . MAYBE I AM JUST 368

87 . MAYBE I SHOULD TRY 364 88 . MAYBE THAT’S A 364 89 . MAYBE THERE WILL BE 364 90 . MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING 355

91 . MAYBE I JUST NEED 354

92 . MAYBE SOME OF YOU 353 93 . MAYBE YOU CAN HELP 351

94 . PERHAPS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT 341

95 . MAYBE THIS WILL HELP 336 96 . PERHAPS IT WILL BE 336 97 . PERHAPS NOT SURPRISINGLY , 336 98 . MAYBE YOU CAN FIND 326

99 . MAYBE IT COULD BE 325

100 . MAYBE I CAN GET 324

A2 vocabulary highlighted above:

could, future, just, most, perhaps, should, try, way