Question

Fill in the bank with a suitable option:
He said, “It may rain later in a day.”
He said that it _______ rain later in the day.
A) Would
B) May
C) Might
D) Must

Answer 1

Hint: The above-given options such as would, may, might, and must are known as auxiliary verbs. These words possess meaning only when used alongside a proper verb.

Complete answer:
The word “might” is used when the person is not sure of some incident happening in the future. Since the person saying the above sentence, is not sure about whether it is going to rain later on that day. The most appropriate auxiliary verb that can be used in this context is “might”
Considering the other given options:
“Would” is the past tense for usage will, it is mostly used to express or describe a person’s belief about an incident that has happened in the past. Since in the above-given sentence, the incident has not already happened, would is not an apt choice.
“May” can be used as a present tense, but in the given sentence, the incident is being explained by a person. This may is not an appropriate usage.
Must is used mostly in an authoritative tone or when the person is sure of something which is bound to happen. It is obligatory in nature. It can’t be used in this context, since the person is not sure if it is going to rain later that day.
Thus from the above-given options, the most appropriate one was found to be C, as it makes the most meaningful sentence.
The final sentence can be framed as “He said that it might rain later in the day”.

Note:
The usage of an Auxiliary verb in a sentence can add to the improved grammatical or functional meaning of a phrase or a clause. It is also known as a modal verb and does not have a meaningful existence without a normal verb.