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Lev Landau Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Uses of Wouldn't vs Didn't in past-tensed written works
When reading English books and articles written in the past tense I occasionally come across sentences where the authors used WOULDN'T instead of DIDN'T to describe something that never happened in the past. For instance:
-- Andrew was referred to the Social Skills Program for his behavior, but his mother wouldn't agree to let him participate -- (Empowerment Through Multicultural Education)
Can someone please tell me if there are any grammatical rules for such uses?
Thank you.
-- Andrew was referred to the Social Skills Program for his behavior, but his mother wouldn't agree to let him participate -- (Empowerment Through Multicultural Education)
Can someone please tell me if there are any grammatical rules for such uses?
Thank you.
Top answer
Lev Landau Can someone please tell me if there are any grammatical rules for such uses? Would is the past tense of will. It has other uses as well.
- Lev Landau Can someone please tell me if there are any grammatical rules for such uses?
- Would is the past tense of will.
- It has other uses as well.
- See definition #1.
- r=66 His mother won't agree to let him participate.
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4 Answers
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Lev LandauCan someone please tell me if there are any grammatical rules for such uses?Would is the past tense of will. It has other uses as well.
See definition #1.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/would?r=66
His mother won't agree to
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In cases like this, "wouldn't" suggests refusal to do something despite being asked, despite its being expected/desired, or similar.
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Thanks for your reply.
I know that wouldn't is the past tense of won't, and have no problem using it in conversation or writing. But my question here is that:
i) when the narrative tense is the past; and
ii) there was an event that never took place in the past
why did some authors use wouldn't to describe that event instead of didn't?
I know that wouldn't is the past tense of won't, and have no problem using it in conversation or writing. But my question here is that:
i) when the narrative tense is the past; and
ii) there was an event that never took place in the past
why did some authors use wouldn't to describe that event instead of didn't?
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