PH“Could” and “might” are called modal verbs, and are used in support of other verbs, called main verbs. “Could” is also the past tense of “can,” and “might” is the past tense of “may.” In practice, using “could” in a sentence gives the likelihood of an occurrence greater possibility than “might.” Examples:
- “He could have broken into that shed, but I don’t think that he did, because he is not that type of person.” (possible, but unlikely)
- “He might have broken into that shed, but I don’t think he could have, because he is not that strong.” (almost impossible and very unlikely)