Questions tagged [would]
For questions about the verb conjugation 'would,' including usage, placement, and nuance.
116
questions
-1
votes
1
answer
41
views
Is this sentence is a conditional? "Marta on if she would ever make a tinder account" [closed]
Is it correct to use this struct? (If + noun + would)
I was looking for any examples of this structure, and every time I received an answer that this is a conditional.
I have also asked chatgpt, and ...
- 1
6
votes
1
answer
120
views
Is "did" used conditionally, regionally or otherwise? e.g. "Did you want..." instead of "Would you want..."
My partner frequently asks me questions that, when read literally, are questions about the past, but in intent and intended response are actually conditional questions:
Did you have any thoughts ...
- 811
1
vote
1
answer
89
views
What tense is this rhetorical question? [closed]
I'm having trouble figuring out the tense of this sentence:
What heart wouldn’t fill with awe upon hearing the events of her birth?
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
123
views
What is the difference between "That'd be me" and "That be me"? [closed]
I heard this dialog in a Western film:
Ruffian: Are you Josey Wales?
Josey: That['d] be me.
Methinks Josey responded That be me and not That'd be me. Is the former even correct? Is That be me. also ...
- 1,720
3
votes
2
answers
147
views
'Would' to indicate that the information given is not absolutely certain
Page 60 of Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference gives two example sentences that the author claims are ungrammatical uses of "would" when indicating uncertainty.
*The ...
- 2,423
2
votes
2
answers
43
views
Is there a term for use of "would" conditional to indicate lack of precision?
In the Northern Irish dialect, a speaker can say
You see, I would have been very shy, and his encouragement really
helped me.
Here, the "would have been" is used to indicate that the ...
- 183
0
votes
1
answer
40
views
Is this correct to use would twice in if-then sentence? [duplicate]
Would it be grammatically correct if I would say: (see what I did there? :))
If I would be X >then< Y.
E.g.: If I would be born in US I would be happier.
("then" is redundant so I ...
- 101
0
votes
3
answers
69
views
Would like. Can we use it in the past?
I listened to "15 facts about Pierre Cardin". And there's a phrase "but at the age of 8 years old he showed his interest in fashion and design when he would like to dress up the dolls ...
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
223
views
How to differentiate the short form of "would" and "had"? [closed]
How do you differentiate:
I'd always longed to see... = I would always longed to see...
VS
I'd always longed to see.. = I had always longed to see..
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
Past Tense after "if" [duplicate]
“A letter?” repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. “Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He’ll be ...
4
votes
2
answers
142
views
Would rather they WENT by bus than WALK
I would rather you washed it yourself than see your mom do it for you.
I would rather you washed the dishes than watched TV.
The mom would rather the kids went by bus than walk.
I can understand, ...
- 41
1
vote
1
answer
91
views
‘It would be better dealt with’ VS. ‘It would better be dealt with’ [closed]
This problem would be better dealt with through a view on the
economy.
This problem would better be dealt with through a view on the
economy.
Which one is the correct/better choice?
- 3,334
0
votes
0
answers
22
views
Why is "should" used instead of "would" all over The Fellowship of the Ring? [duplicate]
Over and over again, the author uses "should" where "would" would be right:
I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well ...
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
How do I use "would" when talking about the past in the context of storytelling?
I'm currently translating a book from my mother tongue, Portuguese, to English.
When translating certain sentences about the past, which describe recurrence, I repeatedly resort to would in situations ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
What's the difference between "she would whine" and "she whined"? [duplicate]
I am not sure what the "would" in the following quote mean.
(after a lioness was shot)
At any rate she [=a lioness] got to the bush in safety, and once there, began to make such a ...
- 85
1
vote
4
answers
671
views
"I would have met you on Monday, but I will be out of the country"
I have an argument with a couple of friends about the following situation:
I want to meet someone on Monday, in the future, but I can't because I will be out of the country. So I told him:
I would ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
17
views
Which of the following sentence is correct when using would?
I'm struggling to understand the rules that applies to the "would" used in past context. For example, which of the following is correct :
A) Sun developed an open protocol which simply ...
2
votes
1
answer
137
views
Using "would" to describe past habits with verbs that represent permanent states
I know that WOULD can be used to talk about past habits, just like USED TO.
"I used to take a walk every morning."
"I would take a walk every morning."
I also know that WOULD ...
- 35
0
votes
2
answers
102
views
What kind of past habit fits this text? "were always doing" or "used to do" [closed]
As I understand it, there are three ways to explain past habits:
Would
Past continuous
Used to
According to that, what is the best form of past habits for the following text?
My sister and I had a ...
- 311
0
votes
0
answers
88
views
Is "I wish I would have <done something>..." ever correct? (vs. "I wish I had <done it>...")
I often hear (or read) a construct along the lines of "I wish I would have ". Here is a recent example:
I wish I would have written a post guessing at Facebook’s new name [...]
This wish-I-...
- 1,151
0
votes
0
answers
42
views
Would usage, What is the difference
While I was reading something I came across with this structure.
" Car wouldnt start this morning."
Why was "wouldn't" used here...
Whats the difference as meaning with these ...
0
votes
2
answers
575
views
If he got the job, he would be very happy now
Consider this, please:
Person A: My brother was supposed to appear for an interview at 8am, and now it's 10. I don't know if he got the job or not. But one thing is for sure,
If he got the job, he ...
- 651
0
votes
4
answers
121
views
Is "Not that we would have expected anything else, of course" sound?
In the GSMArena article Xiaomi denies any ties to the Chinese military in response to being blacklisted by the US, "would have" is used:
Today Xiaomi has issued the following statement on ...
- 113
-1
votes
3
answers
56
views
Can "would" be used in a conditional like this?
I know there's a multitude of similar questions, but I just can't find one that clearly applies to my problem. The sentence I'm struggling with deals with an obligation and sounds similar to this.
...
- 13
1
vote
1
answer
45
views
Difference b/w had to and would have to
“ Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government.”
Could someone ...
- 113
0
votes
0
answers
378
views
Reported speech: "would do something", or "would have done something"
What would the following be in reported speech?
Q "If I had any money I'd buy you a drink" she said.
(a) She told me she would buy me a drink if she had any/some money
or
(b) She told me she ...
0
votes
0
answers
38
views
What the difference between "can" and "would" / "will" and "would"?
I just came across a paragraph in my English learning text book————
①To begin with, Will you please consider installing self-checkout machines, which would render readers and librarians more ...
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
197
views
present simple or would?
This sentence comes from Active Skills for Reading 3:
In most parts of the world, storm clouds would be greeted with a frown. But in India, it's said that when the monsoon rains come, a billion ...
- 57
0
votes
2
answers
225
views
Is it grammatical to use "would be" in a conditional clause?
Is it grammatically correct to include "would be" in a conditional clause?
Your physician may recommend you to be evaluated if you would potentially be a candidate for this vaccine.
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How "So it would seem" phrase work?
There is famous quote from Pirates of Caribbean:
Officer: That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen.
Norrington: So it would seem.
I already learned that it basically is same as saying "...
0
votes
0
answers
22
views
Would vs Will usage in present tense
Can would be used like this -
If you talk to him , you would find out how stupid he is .
This could have been - " If you talked to him , you would find out how stupid he is "
Second one is an ...
- 47
0
votes
1
answer
192
views
"Who would be the best person for this job?" vs "Who is the best person for this job?". What's the difference?
What's the difference between:
Who would be the best person for this job?
Who is the best person for this job?
Who may be the best person for this job?
Who will be the best person for this job?
And ...
- 157
2
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is the difference between "How long would" vs "How long will"?
What is the difference between
1-"How long would a train take to arrive here?" and
2-"How long will a train take to arrive here?"
In what situation should I use the above sentences? These ...
- 29
0
votes
1
answer
68
views
How can you distinguish the meanings of "would"?
Below is the context at issue:
Interviewer: You would like to see a change in our whole approach to aging. You advocate equality – a society for all ages. What (1) would this look like?
Interviewee:...
0
votes
2
answers
125
views
"They wouldn’t give me my money back.".What is the meaning of 'would' in this sentence?
I am learning model verb 'would'. And one of the sentences I am not being able to understand. Here is the sentence
"The CD wasn’t working so I brought it back to the shop but they wouldn’t give me my ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
37
views
Use of 'would' in the past, that is not conditional
I know there have been similar questions, but I'm curious as to the stylistic acceptance of this usage, as it often seems pointless to me. Example:
'Due to dwindling ratings, and the decline of music ...
0
votes
0
answers
46
views
"would" and "will" after "when" for generalization
I need help, a second eye to proofread the following:
"This method precludes an instance when the user has/will have their device broken."
AND:
"This method precluded an instance when the user had/...
- 21
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
there WOULD be at least 10 people and out of that 10 people at least 2 WOULD
Context- I was teaching a child about how the economy is being effected by the corona-virus. I pointed at a street with some stores and restaurants and said:
"If it weren't for the virus there would ...
- 131
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
When is it better to use "would" rather than simple past tense?
Which of the following reads better:
"With the exception of this past Sunday, I could not attend church for the month of January and February (mostly due to the flu), but I rested assured knowing I ...
-1
votes
1
answer
161
views
How can one use 'would' and 'could' both, consecutively?
I encountered a sentence in an article. The writer (an Australian) has used both 'could' and 'would' consecutively in a sentence.
The sentence is
But I was determined to make a statement: would ...
- 11
0
votes
4
answers
333
views
Used to and would
Is the verb "work" a state? For example, the sentence "I used to work as a doctor." is grammatically correct but is "I would work as a doctor." also correct? It doesn't sound weird, is it because it ...
- 3
0
votes
1
answer
30
views
Is "would" appropriate in this case? [duplicate]
"If these same situations would be held by people unable to change their behaviour in order to solve or to handle them the consequences would be catastrophic."
I know that usually the word "would" is ...
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
4k
views
“Would + Verb” vs. “Were to + Verb”
"If they ___ me this job, I'd turn it down."
a) would offer
b) were to offer
I had this question in my test lately. The latter is the right answer, but I don't really get the difference ...
1
vote
1
answer
291
views
using would + have to in non-conditional sentences
Which timeline (past vs present vs future) does this sentence indicate?
Project managers would have to organize copywriters, editors, and designers as well as feedback from clients or other ...
- 63
1
vote
1
answer
18k
views
What is the difference between "how you would" or "how would you" and when to use them? [closed]
I am trying to understand what is the difference between these two sentences and which is correct.
Please select how would you like to receive your messages?
Please select how you would like to ...
- 131
1
vote
0
answers
680
views
Using 'would' or 'used to' with a time reference in a different sentence
In a test there are such sentences:
"When I was little, I shared a bedroom with my sister Catherine. As I was eight years her junior, I obviously
(used to go / would go) to bed earlier than her."
...
- 111
0
votes
1
answer
322
views
Why use "would have to" in the past tense?
I was watching Bird Box and there was a sentence I didn't quite understand which was this:
They took us outside and they forced our eyes open so that we would have to look at the creatures.
He was ...
- 33
2
votes
1
answer
558
views
The position of ‘constantly’ in "would be being used"
Personal computers first made their appearance in the home in the
1970s, but surely few people would have been able to
imagine then that the home computer could evolve into the
super-fast, super-...
- 23
-1
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is "would play" correct?
We had a small house with a large garden, and we would play in a garden for hours.
Is it correct to say "would play" in this context?
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
234
views
Difference in meaning between: “his son will return” and “his son would return” [duplicate]
The hope is that his son will/would return.
What’s the difference in meaning of the sentence when will and would are used one at a time?
Should we use only would inasmuch as hope is only ...
