In Numbers^x, Conversations^x, Clauses^x

I know 'would' carries many meanings. My problem is sometimes I find it difficult to tell which meaning the speaker uses. I think I understand its hypothetical usage, and in some contexts, its politeness usage. Below is a post that has several woulds I have trouble interpreting. I also...

SHALL AND WILL IT is unfortunate that the idiomatic use, while it comes by nature to southern Englishmen (who will find most of this section superfluous), is so complicated that those who are not to the manner born can hardly acquire it; and for them the section is in danger of...

Thank you, Mr. M. In your answer you said "the post-colon portion elaborated the number of books on chaos theory" in regard to the following example sentence: We've had streams of books on chaos theory: no fewer that tweleve since 1988. My one possible foible is the fact that I try read...

Swagatalakshmi wrote: OK - consulted couple of grammar books. "Participles" (verb+-ing or verb in past participle form) ALWAYS modify nouns. If you see a verb +-ing used as a stand-alone phrase (noun) which is not modifying anything, it must be a gerund. There is nothing called "adverbial...

Your toes look pretty sharp and nimble to me, Paco! I think doubt often does arise, for native speakers, when they're using this structure in written English. I've had conversations like the one above on a number of occasions, when someone has suddenly doubted their own intuition while writing...