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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

It won't work

I was asked by a student wh we use 'will' in this sentence and not 'doesn't' and honestly I am at a loss. I have no idea. It doesn't have a future meaning and as far as I can see it doesn't suit every situation, but only ones where something won't start, won't work, won't do what it is supposed to. Can anyone shed some light on this?
  

Top answer

"It will not work" DOES have a future meaning. It does not work. ) (simple present tense) (It is not working.

— Avangi

  • "It will not work" DOES have a future meaning.
  • It does not work.
  • ) (simple present tense) (It is not working.
  • ) It will not work.
  • This CAN describe a situation in which a person is trying to make something work, and is repeatedly failing.
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4 Answers
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"It will not work" DOES have a future meaning.

It does not work. (I have tried it, and at the present time I can assure you that it does not work.)
(simple present tense)
(It is not working. It is not functional.)

It will not work. This CAN describe a situation in which a person is trying to make something work, and is repeate
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The car won't work means it isn't working now. It's that use specifically that I am talking about.
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Anonymous The car won't work means it isn't working now. It's that use specifically that I am talking about.
In that case, "doesn't" and "won't" are interchangeable.

If you're reporting a condition which you've just discovered, they're both common.
If you're telling someone that your car is temporarily "out of commission," "isn't working" is the b
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AnonymousIt won't work.
In the intended reading, this is an idiom that need not be seen as related to or connected to the future meaning of 'will'.

will not / won't ~ refuse( s) to
would not / wouldn't ~ refused to

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CJ
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