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What is the difference in the meanings of the following two sentences?

1) He may have missed the train.
2) He may have missed his train.

Does "his train" in 2) mean the train he usually takes to go to school or work?

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If someone was visiting you by a particular train and he doesn't arrive by expected time you can say he may have missed the train. Here the refers to a particular train and possibly well known to people around you.

If that person was going to come by just any train (like if there are several trains plying between source and destination) and not any particular train then you can say he may have missed his train.

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  • Incorrect. "his train" and "the train" both refer to the specific train that he was aiming to catch.
    – AndyT
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 11:15
  • @AndyT: Both may refer to specific trains but I gave an example which emphasises subtle diferences.
    – Rolen Koh
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 11:18
  • "the train" might suggest that there's only one available train. "his train" implies that there are multiple, and he missed the one he'd intended to take, but might take another one. But in practice people are likely to use them interchangeably.
    – Barmar
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 20:18

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