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I am trying to understand the below sentence grammatically.

"To determine whether sending a link actually occurred, more context would be needed"

Why did we use would in this sentence. Which grammar rule worked here? Can we use may or will instead of would?

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  • What 'would be…' is a clear fact. What 'may be…' depends on the circumstances. Mar 21, 2023 at 21:50

3 Answers 3

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Not really. Let me paraphrase a bit.

To determine if a link was sent, more context would be needed.

We have an event, and we don't know the result. But we want to do something to find the result. If we assume it was sent, and test accordingly, we are dealing with a hypothetical situation, also call irrealis mood. Would is used in this context when we have no firm expectations or wish to convey an unbiased attitude.

There are some exceptions. If you want to convey an expectation that the assumption will turn out to be true, you can use the indicative mood. Making that point clear will normally benefit from some minor rewording.

To determine that a link was [actually] sent, more context will be needed.

Using may here changes the focus of the statement as well as the meaning. It asks a question about the context, instead of concentrating on the question of whether the link was sent. Presumably, you want a reliable way to determine whether any link gets sent, not just do so in this one instance, so may doesn't work here.

One other point. This modal would is used as a polite way to make requests.

Would you mind if I borrowed your car for an hour?

If the statement is a polite covert request for more context, then there is more pressure to choose would.

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  • Thanks for your answer. I wonder if this is related to conditional type 2?
    – Omer
    Mar 19, 2023 at 15:27
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    Yes, but the way English conditionals are described (to ESL learners) drives native speakers nuts. English conditionals are a lot more complicated. The usual treatment is just barely good enough to keep you out of trouble and tends to only cover situations that are handled uniformly throughout the English-speaking world. There is a lot more going on out there than 0-1-2-3 conditionals.
    – Phil Sweet
    Mar 19, 2023 at 15:43
  • @Omer Think of "whether" as a rough equivalent of "if". Their usage is not always interchangeable but Phil Sweet rephrased it in your example.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Mar 19, 2023 at 16:21
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To elaborate on a comment to another answer:

If we use may, it means "I don't know if more context is needed or not" and if we use will, it means "I need more context". But if we use would, what is the exact meaning?

  • Using "will" means that we want to determine this fact, so we need more context.

  • Using "would" means that if we we want to determine this fact, then we need more context.

  • Using "may" means that we don't know whether we need more context to determine the fact.

So "may" is uncertain about whether context is required to determine the fact, whereas "would" is uncertain about whether determining the fact is required.

(If you want to express both types of uncertainty, you could use "might".)

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  • Thanks for the clarification. Is there a grammar name for the usage of would in this context?
    – Omer
    Mar 20, 2023 at 10:54
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"To determine whether sending a link actually occurred, more context would be needed"

Can we use may or will instead of would?

Would is closest to will in this instance.

You could re-word the original sentence as "if you want to know if a link was sent, you need more context".

If you say "...more context may be needed", you're saying "I don't know if more context is needed or not".

If you say "...more context will be needed", you're saying "I need more context".

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  • If we use may, it means "I don't know if more context is needed or not" and if we use will, it means "I need more context". But if we use would, what is the exact meaning?
    – Omer
    Mar 20, 2023 at 10:01
  • @Omer Would & will are different tenses or forms of the same word.
    – Adeptus
    Mar 20, 2023 at 23:09

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