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Pructus Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Should not have encouraged
Hi,
An quote from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, Chapter 46
http://www.literature.org/authors/bronte-anne/the-tenant-of-wildfell-hall/chapter-46.html
'But did she say no more about me?'
'She did not say much about you, Markham. I should not have encouraged her to do so, had she been inclined; but happily she was not: she only asked a few questions concerning you, and seemed satisfied with my brief answers, wherein she showed herself wiser than her friend; and I may tell you, too, that she seemed to be far more anxious lest you should think too much of her, than lest you should forget her.'
An quote from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, Chapter 46
http://www.literature.org/authors/bronte-anne/the-tenant-of-wildfell-hall/chapter-46.html
'But did she say no more about me?'
'She did not say much about you, Markham. I should not have encouraged her to do so, had she been inclined; but happily she was not: she only asked a few questions concerning you, and seemed satisfied with my brief answers, wherein she showed herself wiser than her friend; and I may tell you, too, that she seemed to be far more anxious lest you should think too much of her, than lest you should forget her.'
Top answer
pructus "I should not have encouraged her to do so" sounds like "I would not have encouraged her to do so". That's exactly what it means. You are reading a text written quite some time ago, when it was typical to use "should" instead of "would" when the subject was "I" or "we".
- pructus "I should not have encouraged her to do so" sounds like "I would not have encouraged her to do so".
- That's exactly what it means.
- You are reading a text written quite some time ago, when it was typical to use "should" instead of "would" when the subject was "I" or "we".
- This substitution is found much less frequently in modern English.
- Some speakers never use that substitution.
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2 Answers
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pructus"I should not have encouraged her to do so" sounds like "I would not have encouraged her to do so".That's exactly what it means. You are reading a text written quite some time ago, when it was typical to use "should" instead of "would" when the subject was "I" or "we". This substitution is found much l
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