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.
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.
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