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Fire1 Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Can "would" be used to express the future in the past?

https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=YijlSyl2vW4C&pg=PA43&dq="would+go+on+to+become"&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnx--_z6fnAhXDad4KHbfbDNcQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q="would go on to become"&f=false

I think in this link, on page 43, most of "would" seem to have been used to express the future in the past.

But I'm not sure whether "would" does not express the willingness of its subjects in the link.


So what I'm asking is whether on the link page, "would" is simply expressing the future in the past or the willingness of its subjects and whether "was/were going to" is used instead of "would"


But as far as I know "would" can be used to express the future in the past only when in the reported speech, so I'm quite confused because in this case, there are no reported speeches.


I have already looked up "would" to find whether it can be used to express the future in the past when it's not used in a reported speech, but I didn't find anything.

  

Top answer

fire1 So what I'm asking is whether on the link page, "would" is simply expressing the future in the past The great majority of them, yes. ) fire1 whether "was/were going to" is used instead of "would" ?? Do you possibly mean "whether 'was/were going to' could be used instead of 'would'"?

— GPY

  • fire1 So what I'm asking is whether on the link page, "would" is simply expressing the future in the past The great majority of them, yes.
  • ) fire1 whether "was/were going to" is used instead of "would" ??
  • Do you possibly mean "whether 'was/were going to' could be used instead of 'would'"?
  • fire1 But as far as I know "would" can be used to express the future in the past only when in the reported speech No, this is not the case.
  • It can be used outside of reported speech too.
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3 Answers
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fire1So what I'm asking is whether on the link page, "would" is simply expressing the future in the past

The great majority of them, yes. (There is one instance that I spotted, "he would bring young Cal Jr.", that may instead be the "would" of regular or repeated action in the past, though it is somewhat ambiguous.)

fire1whether
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Your consistent questions about "would" hit the nail on the head. I have the same problem. I also discovered the same reason behind the confusion I face many times in using or even understanding them. "Would" as we know is multiple usages word in English. One of its common usages is to talk about "willingness" which means it can come as a "model verb"; when it's used as a model verb, it can b

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Thank you for paying my attention to that mistake. Yes, I meant "modal verb".

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