Miranda González, a favorite English language instructor and blog contributor for Livemocha, joins us again giving our intermediate and advanced English learners lessons in grammar and syntax. In this first edition of her series “Versatile English Words” Miranda explains the many uses for the words ‘will’ and ‘would.’
Quiz time! Which English word fits all four of the situations below?
1. Here I am! I told you I _____ come.
2. When I was a kid, my mom _____ take us to the pool during the summer.
3. _____ you hold this for me? I’ll be right back.
4. If he had more time, he _____ help you.
Did you figure it out? The answer: WOULD. As you can see, the word “would” has a lot of uses. Let’s discuss the examples I gave you that illustrate some of the main uses of this word.
#1 Use “would” for the past tense of “will”.
Yesterday I said to you, “I WILL go to your party as soon as I leave work.”
Today I am here at the party and I remind you what I said yesterday: “I told you I WOULD come.” I am referring to the past.
#2 Use “would” for repeated actions in the past.
I used to do something on a regular basis, but I no longer do it.
I would walk home from school every day = I used to walk home from school every day.
#3 Use “would” for polite requests.
When the subject is “you”, you can use…
Will you…? = Do you want to do this?
Would you…? = Do you want to do this please?
Can you…? = Are you able to do this?
Could you…? = Are you able to do this and do you want to do it?
All of these auxiliaries mean pretty much the same thing, but “would” and “could” are more polite than “will” and “can”.
#4 Use “would” for conditionals.
We use “would” for Type 2 (conditions that are untrue in the present) and Type 3 (conditions that were untrue in the past) conditionals.
Type 2: If he had more time, he WOULD help you. = But he doesn’t have enough time, so he can’t help you.
Type 3: If had known it was your birthday, I WOULD have baked you a cake. = But I didn’t know it was your birthday, so I didn’t bake you a cake.
And here’s one more usage that you mainly see in literature, especially from the story’s narrator:
#5 Use “would” to express the future in the past.
Example: Heather took a trip to Morocco, where she WOULD meet the man of her dreams.
At the present time, we know that Heather met the man of her dreams in Morocco. But we are telling a story about the past BEFORE she met him, so we are talking about what is going to happen in the future, i.e. the future in the past, so we use “would”. Ouch. My brain hurts.
So, it’s safe to say that “would” is a pretty important word in the English language. Can you think of any more uses for this word?
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