There would be...
There would be many more people in the hall tonight if it were not raining.
The sentence above is the conditional (type-2) and "were" is a subjunctive.
Am I right?
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How should the verb phrase "would be" be grammatically named in the main clause of the cited sentence? Is it a hypothetical form of "will" in counterfactual clause?
Thank you.
Top answer
There would be many more people in the hall tonight if it were not raining. You're partly right. One use of the preterite modal would is to express modal remoteness, particularly in the apodosis of a remote conditional, which is what it is doing in your example.
- There would be many more people in the hall tonight if it were not raining.
- You're partly right.
- One use of the preterite modal would is to express modal remoteness, particularly in the apodosis of a remote conditional, which is what it is doing in your example.
- Would contrasts with present tense will which occurs in open conditionals, cf.
- There will be many people in the hall tonight if it is not raining.
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There would be many more people in the hall tonight if it were not raining.
You're partly right. One use of the preterite modal would is to express modal remoteness, particularly in the apodosis of a remote conditional, which is what it is doing in your example. Would contrasts with present tense will which occurs in open conditionals, cf. There will
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