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Henry74 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Again on 'Would' - part 1
Hello,
I'm back to my favourite topic; or, shall I say, my personal nightmare! At some point, in a future far, far away, I will understand how 'would' works. Seen it I have!
Here's one sentence that I have heard on TV the other night. If you could help me understand why a would-construction is used, I would really appreciate it.
[This was originally part of a much too long thread that I posted earlier. It was suggested that I split it into smaller, more manageable parts]
a) If I would have turned him down, he would have gotten somebody else to do it.
(A hitman is talking about a job he's just been hired for; one that he probably should not have accepted).
Why doesn't it simply say If I had turned him down, [...]? What is the extra information provided by 'would'?
In trying to answer my own question, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I should start thinking of 'would' in terms of willingness.
There's a use of "will/would" - Why won't you talk to me. Or, I asked her but she wouldn't tell me. - that normally translates into my language as the verb "volere"; which in turn is usually translated as want.
So, I'm wondering, is sentence a) close in meaning to Even if I had been willing to turn him down, [...]?
Thank you for your invaluable help.
H.
I'm back to my favourite topic; or, shall I say, my personal nightmare! At some point, in a future far, far away, I will understand how 'would' works. Seen it I have!
Here's one sentence that I have heard on TV the other night. If you could help me understand why a would-construction is used, I would really appreciate it.
[This was originally part of a much too long thread that I posted earlier. It was suggested that I split it into smaller, more manageable parts]
a) If I would have turned him down, he would have gotten somebody else to do it.
(A hitman is talking about a job he's just been hired for; one that he probably should not have accepted).
Why doesn't it simply say If I had turned him down, [...]? What is the extra information provided by 'would'?
In trying to answer my own question, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I should start thinking of 'would' in terms of willingness.
There's a use of "will/would" - Why won't you talk to me. Or, I asked her but she wouldn't tell me. - that normally translates into my language as the verb "volere"; which in turn is usually translated as want.
So, I'm wondering, is sentence a) close in meaning to Even if I had been willing to turn him down, [...]?
Thank you for your invaluable help.
H.
Top answer
]? What is the extra information provided by 'would'? Nothing.
- ]?
- What is the extra information provided by 'would'?
- Nothing.
- It is common in informal English but eschewed as poor style in formal language.
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6 Answers
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Henry74a) If I would have turned him down, he would have gotten somebody else to do it.(A hitman is talking about a job he's just been hired for; one that he probably should not have accepted).Why doesn't it simply say If I had turned him down, [...]? What is the extra information provided by 'would'?Nothing. It is common in informal English but eschewed as
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Thank you for your answer.
My problem, though, is that even if it's poor style, I don't understand the grammatical possibility of putting 'would' there.
Are you saying that it's ungrammatical?
H.
My problem, though, is that even if it's poor style, I don't understand the grammatical possibility of putting 'would' there.
Are you saying that it's ungrammatical?
H.
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Henry74Are you saying that it's ungrammatical?I'm saying it is accepted but poor style. It is a bad language habit; nuance of meaning or grammatical possibility is not involved.
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Okay. Thank you.
Can I ask where this habit springs from? I mean, is the similarity with other structures - e.g. If you would..., I would... - that lead people to start sentences with If you would, even when they shouldn't?
H.
Can I ask where this habit springs from? I mean, is the similarity with other structures - e.g. If you would..., I would... - that lead people to start sentences with If you would, even when they shouldn't?
H.
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Yes, I suppose so. Just like with present perfect in 'since' clauses:
(?X) It has been three years since I have stopped smoking.
(?X) It has been three years since I have stopped smoking.
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