ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Marius Hancu — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:07:24 GMT

CalifJim
Would is probably the most difficult word in English to explain!

I fully agree.

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Viceidol — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:21:02 GMT

Thank you for your explanation,Marius Hancu, Jim. Now I really unserstand what is all about between these modals. Indeed, just like Jim said "would" is probably the most difficult word in English to explain, because all my grammar books never mention the thing you've said. If it wouldn't have been your help, I wouldn't have understand these modals. Thank you.

Re: Using "would" to make questions

CalifJim — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:38:52 GMT

Your book is trying to keep everything very simple. Otherwise students will think English is too hard to learn!

would doesn't mean possible in the same way that may and might do. would is actually more definite, more certain, than may or might, because if you say something may be true, it means maybe it's true, and maybe it's not true. would doesn't work that way. would is probably the most difficult word in English to explain!

You wouldn't know him. (~ My guess is that you probably don't know him. ~ I strongly doubt that you know him. ~ There is nothing that leads me to think that you know him.)

A flight to Mars would take more than a year. (In an imaginary world where flights to Mars are ordinary events, a flight to Mars takes more than a year.) [This is a different usage from the usage in the first sentence.]

The weight of insects ... would be greater than the weight of .... (In an imaginary world where we are able to make such measurements, the weight of insects ... is greater than the weight of ....) [Same usage as in the second sentence.]

He would have reached New York. (In an imaginary world where certain conditions were met, he reached New York.)

I thought you would have finished this by now. (In an imaginary world - the imaginary world created by my thoughts - you have already finished this.)

My paraphrases are only approximate. There is no real definition of would. You just need to hear it and imitate it a lot before you start to understand how to use it. A clause with would is most often accompanied by an if clause that reveals more about the imaginary world we are in by expressing a condition.

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Marius Hancu — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:02:37 GMT

I think these two are a bit different, even though close:

"You wouldn't know him." [I don't think that you know him, based on my experience, based on my typical experience; if you meet him he will not be a known face to you. Based on my experience, I imagine you do not know him.

"You may not know him." [It is possible that you don't know him

He would have reached New York by now. [From my experience, typically, I think that he is in NYC by now. I imagine he is in NYC by now.

He may have reached New York by now. [It is possible that he is in NYC by now

Thus quite close, but not necessarily the same, to me, at least.

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Viceidol — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:52:11 GMT

Actually one of my grammar books says "would" can be used to suggest "possiblity", so I thought that it could have the same meaning of "may/might", which suggests "possiblity".

If "would" cannot be used to suggest "possiblity" like may/might does, then what does the "would" mean in the following sentences? (All these sentences are from the book I mentioned above)

â²"Who is the man you want to speak to?" "You wouldn't know him." (Shouldn't it mean the same thing as may/might not?)

â²It is estimated that a round-trip flight to Mars would take more than a year and a half. (Shouldn't it mean the same thing as may/might? Or this "would" is only a substitute of "will"?)

â²It has been estimated that the weight of all the insects destroyed by spiders in Britain in one year would be greater than the total weight of all the human beings in the country. (Shouldn't it mean the same thing as may/might?Or this "would" is only a substitute of "will"?)

The book also says "would have done" suggests "past possibilities", if "would" cannot be used to suggest "possiblity" like may/might does, then nethier will be "would have done". If "would have done" cannot be used to suggests "past possibilities", what would the "would have done" in the following sentences mean?

â²He would have reached New York. (Shouldn't it mean the same thing as may have reached/might have reached?)

â²I thought you would have finished this by now. (Shouldn't it mean the same thing as may have finished/might have finished?)

Please give me your opinion about this, thanks again!

Re: Using "would" to make questions

CalifJim — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:21:34 GMT

New2grammar
Can you really use 'would' as a substitute for may/might and still carry almost the same meaning?

Yes, but in a very limited way. As a general rule, no. The use of will or would that way is not often heard in modern American English, for example. may, might, and could are more often chosen to fill that role. My personal opinion is that the reason for learning it is to be able to understand it if you read it in older literature.

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Grammar Geek — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:09:21 GMT

No.

She COULD be at John's place.

She WOULD be at John's place if... [something]

Re: Using "would" to make questions

New2grammar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:39:15 GMT

This is interesting.

Can you really use 'would' as a substitute for may/might and still carry almost the same meaning?

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Viceidol — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:47:45 GMT

Grammar Geek

But how do you anticipate using these? If she had her choice, she would be at John's place. Something like that?

I was trying to use the "would" to express possibility. So I came up with these three sentences. It's like "A: Do you know where she is? B: She would (=may/might) be at John's place.".

Re: Using "would" to make questions

Grammar Geek — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:23:53 GMT

Sure, that's fine.

But how do you anticipate using these? If she had her choice, she would be at John's place. Something like that?

Using "would" to make questions

Viceidol — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:50:21 GMT

Affirmative: She would be at John's place.

Negative: She wouldn't be at John's place.

Will the question sentence be "Would she be at John's place?"?

Please enlighten me on this. Thank you very much!