might * but * – English Grammar Profiler

In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 195 in MODALITY is defined as:

‘might’ followed by ‘but’ to console or justify

The usage requirements seem a little too restrictive because there are other uses that show a high level of complexity.  Here are Google definitions for ‘console‘ and ‘justify‘ in order:

• comfort (someone) at a time of grief or disappointment.
• show or prove to be right or reasonable.

The following example does seem to comfort someone:

At first, you might have to consciously change how you pronounce certain words every time you speak, but with practice, you will soon be speaking them effortlessly.

studybreaks.com

However, a search in search in iWeb corpus for might * * * but shows many other complex uses such as instances of conceding.

1 MIGHT BE WRONG, BUT 693

Yeah, I might be wrong, but I‘m not confused.

My All-American

2 MIGHT SEEM OBVIOUS, BUT 595 3 MIGHT BE TRUE, BUT 524 4 MIGHT SOUND OBVIOUS, BUT 386 5 MIGHT BE DIFFERENT, BUT 327 6 MIGHT SOUND STRANGE, BUT 323 7 MIGHT SOUND CRAZY, BUT 314 8 MIGHT SOUND SILLY, BUT 312 9 MIGHT BE SMALL, BUT 290 10 MIGHT HAVE BEEN, BUT 268 11 MIGHT BE RIGHT, BUT 267 12 MIGHT BE OVER, BUT 235

13 MIGHT SOUND WEIRD, BUT 220

14 MIGHT BE GOOD, BUT 219 15 MIGHT BE POSSIBLE , BUT 215 16 MIGHT BE OK , BUT 194 17 MIGHT BE BETTER , BUT 179 18 MIGHT SURPRISE YOU , BUT 173 19 MIGHT SOUND ODD , BUT 172 20 MIGHT NOT WORK , BUT 161 21 MIGHT BE NICE , BUT 157 22 MIGHT BE RIGHT . BUT 147 23 MIGHT BE USEFUL , BUT 146 24 MIGHT SOUND SIMPLE , BUT 141 25 MIGHT BE FINE , BUT 137 26 MIGHT SEEM COUNTERINTUITIVE , BUT 134 27 MIGHT BE OBVIOUS , BUT 132 28 MIGHT BE DIFFICULT , BUT 128 29 MIGHT BE BIASED , BUT 125 30 MIGHT BE FUN , BUT 123

31 MIGHT MAKE SENSE , BUT 123

32 MIGHT SEEM STRANGE , BUT 117 33 MIGHT BE . BUT 115 34 MIGHT BE TRUE . BUT 115 35 MIGHT BE OKAY , BUT 111 36 MIGHT SEEM DAUNTING , BUT 104 37 MIGHT SEEM SILLY , BUT 102 38 MIGHT NOT BE , BUT 101

39 MIGHT SEEM ODD , BUT 101

40 MIGHT SOUND HARSH , BUT 101 41 MIGHT BE GREAT , BUT 100 42 MIGHT SOUND COMPLICATED , BUT 100 43 MIGHT ALSO LIKE BUT 99 44 MIGHT SEEM SIMPLE , BUT 99 45 MIGHT SOUND STUPID , BUT 99 46 MIGHT NOT KNOW , BUT 97 47 MIGHT BE HELPFUL , BUT 97 48 MIGHT BE EXPENSIVE , BUT 93 49 MIGHT BE SO , BUT 93 50 MIGHT TAKE A WHILE BUT 89 51 MIGHT DO IT , BUT 86 52 MIGHT BE INTERESTING , BUT 86 53 MIGHT SAY , ” BUT 86 54 MIGHT SEEM SMALL , BUT 85 55 MIGHT BE GONE , BUT 85 56 MIGHT BE SURPRISED , BUT 84 57 MIGHT LOOK LIKE , BUT 84

58 MIGHT SEEM TRIVIAL , BUT 80

59 MIGHT HAVE CHANGED , BUT 80

60 MIGHT BE TOUGH , BUT 79

61 MIGHT BE NECESSARY , BUT 78 62 MIGHT BE DIFFERENT . BUT 76 63 MIGHT HAVE BEEN . BUT 76 64 MIGHT HAVE NO CHOICE BUT 75 65 MIGHT SOUND COUNTERINTUITIVE , BUT 74 66 MIGHT JUST BE ME BUT 73 67 MIGHT BE HARD , BUT 72 68 MIGHT HAVE WORKED , BUT 70 69 MIGHT BE CHEAPER , BUT 70 70 MIGHT BE MISTAKEN , BUT 69 71 MIGHT NOT LIKE IT BUT 67 72 MIGHT SEEM COUNTER-INTUITIVE , BUT 66 73 MIGHT BE YOUNG , BUT 66 74 MIGHT BE EXPECTED , BUT 65 75 MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT BUT 65 76 MIGHT SEEM OVERWHELMING , BUT 64 77 MIGHT SOUND EASY , BUT 63 78 MIGHT BE BAD , BUT 62 79 MIGHT THINK SO , BUT 62 80 MIGHT BE BORING , BUT 61 81 MIGHT SOUND FUNNY , BUT 61 82 MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED , BUT 60 83 MIGHT SOUND BORING , BUT 58 84 MIGHT SEEM INTIMIDATING , BUT 58 85 MIGHT MAKE SENSE . BUT 57 86 MIGHT BE CRAZY , BUT 57

87 MIGHT BE TEMPTING , BUT 57

88 MIGHT BE THERE , BUT 56 89 MIGHT BE NEEDED , BUT 55 90 MIGHT BE THINKING , BUT 55 91 MIGHT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE , BUT 54 92 MIGHT NOT KNOW THIS BUT 54 93 MIGHT DO THAT , BUT 54 94 MIGHT BE DEAD , BUT 54 95 MIGHT BE COOL , BUT 54 96 MIGHT BE A PROBLEM BUT 54 97 MIGHT SOUND GOOD , BUT 53 98 MIGHT BE CHEAP , BUT 52 99 MIGHT TAKE TIME , BUT 52

100 MIGHT BE ENOUGH , BUT 51

B2 vocabulary:

counter, make sense, odd, tempting, tough, trivial, weird