It would not be all....

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It would not be all strange if some obscene words and gestures should find expression.....There was considerable humour, very broad humour too, but nothing obscene.I have 4 questions reagarding the passage above:1. What does "all strange" mean in that context?2. I think here in this sentence "It would not be all strange if some obscene words and gestures should find expression", "It would not be all..." indicates possibility. The writer meant that it wouldn't be strange at all if some obscene words and gestures found expression.3. Why the writer used "should" before the word "find"? Why he didn't write it like this: "It would not be all strange if some obscene words and gestures found expression"?4. What is the meaning of "broad humour" in that passage?

GPY · Accepted Answer

Hasibrahman1. What does "all strange" mean in that context?
2. I think here in this sentence "It would not be all strange if some obscene words and gestures should find expression", "It would not be all..." indicates possibility. The writer meant that it wouldn't be strange at all if some obscene words and gestures found expression.

"all strange" is unusually phrased. May I ask where this came from? It may just be a misprint for "would not be at all strange".

Hasibrahman3. Why the writer used "should" before the word "find"? Why he didn't write it like this: "It would not be all strange if some obscene words and gestures found expression"?

In this case, "should find" means broadly the same as "found". The pattern with "should" is a fancier style. In some cases it can make the imagined event seem less likely, but here this is largely overridden by "would not be (at) all strange". It can also place the imagined event more clearly in the future (for example, "if he took the money" can refer to the past, but "if he should take the money" cannot), but I can't tell if this applies in your case without seeing the full context.

Hasibrahman4. What is the meaning of "broad humour" in that passage?

This is sense 4 of "broad" at https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/broad:

Somewhat coarse and indecent.

This is not a very common meaning in ordinary modern English.

CalifJim · Answer

Hasibrahman3. ~~Why the writer used "should"~~ before the word "find"?
Why did the writer use "should" ...?

Please review how to form a question!

See for more information on "evaluative should".

CJ

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