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REFERENCE

perhaps

adv. sent.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //pɝˈhæps// UK //pəhˈæps// per·haps Archaic General-service

adv. used to say that something is possible but you are not certain. It is a more polite or formal way to say 'maybe'.

adv. used to express uncertainty or possibility. Often functions as a sentence-modifying disjunct to soften a statement or request.


SIMPLE

Perhaps it will rain later today.

CONTEXTUAL

If you are free this evening, perhaps we could go out for dinner together.

COMPLEX

The results of the study were inconclusive, suggesting that perhaps the initial hypothesis failed to account for environmental variables that influenced the participants' behavior.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English perhappes, perhappous, variant of earlier perhap (“perhaps, possibly”), equivalent to per + hap (“chance, coincidence”) + -s, on model of Middle English parchaunce (modern perchance).

Usage

Typically placed at the beginning of a sentence or before the main verb; it is more formal than 'maybe'.

Pitfall

Maybe perhaps it is true.Perhaps it is true.Learners sometimes use 'maybe' and 'perhaps' together, but they are redundant as they carry the same meaning.

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