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Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
versatile uses of modal verb "would"?
Hi,
How could a person use the modal "would" correctly? I think the uses of it can be said to be in the categories of "request", "invitation", "conditional" and others. What I have most trouble is the conditional use of the modal "would".
Would you say all these show the conditional use (with the if-clauses being absent, which could be derived from context explicitly or implicitly)?
It would be good to have a sister.
I would go for that idea.
It would take more than two years.
If I am right, what poses difficulty next is knowing whether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.
Permission in question part:
Would you mind passing me the salt?
Conditional in answer part:
No, I would mind passing you the salt at all
If you have only the answer part, the obvious elliped part would be "if you asked me". Right?
Request in question part:
Would you pass the pepper please?
Conditioal in answer part:
Sure, I would pass the pepper to you.
If you have only the answer part, the obvious ellipted part would be "if you asked me." Right?
How could a person use the modal "would" correctly? I think the uses of it can be said to be in the categories of "request", "invitation", "conditional" and others. What I have most trouble is the conditional use of the modal "would".
Would you say all these show the conditional use (with the if-clauses being absent, which could be derived from context explicitly or implicitly)?
It would be good to have a sister.
I would go for that idea.
It would take more than two years.
If I am right, what poses difficulty next is knowing whether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.
Permission in question part:
Would you mind passing me the salt?
Conditional in answer part:
No, I would mind passing you the salt at all
If you have only the answer part, the obvious elliped part would be "if you asked me". Right?
Request in question part:
Would you pass the pepper please?
Conditioal in answer part:
Sure, I would pass the pepper to you.
If you have only the answer part, the obvious ellipted part would be "if you asked me." Right?
Top answer
I think the basic functions of would are the habitual past, the future of the past, and the conditional. Requests (or asking permission) is a subcategory of the conditional use. Semantically, these are conditionals.
- I think the basic functions of would are the habitual past, the future of the past, and the conditional.
- Requests (or asking permission) is a subcategory of the conditional use.
- Semantically, these are conditionals.
- Pragmatically, they can be requests if framed as questions.
- Anonymous whether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.
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3 Answers
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I think the basic functions of would are the habitual past, the future of the past, and the conditional.
Requests (or asking permission) is a subcategory of the conditional use. Semantically, these are conditionals. Pragmatically, they can be requests if framed as questions.
Requests (or asking permission) is a subcategory of the conditional use. Semantically, these are conditionals. Pragmatically, they can be requests if framed as questions.
Anonymouswhether the questions parts pose different categories than the answer parts.
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Thank you. Your explanation makes much sense, yet demands more time to go over.
You said:
Your examples (below) are all cases of the conditional usage with one or more implicit conditions. The use of would is the signal that the fulfillment of the condition(s) is not currently in effect or not likely to come into effect.
It would be good to have a sister.
You said:
Your examples (below) are all cases of the conditional usage with one or more implicit conditions. The use of would is the signal that the fulfillment of the condition(s) is not currently in effect or not likely to come into effect.
It would be good to have a sister.
00
Sorry, I forgot to ask you this:
Can you tell me how does this use of the modal "would" work: the future of the past? I am trying very hard to understand the whole point but it is not easy.
I think you said "Request" is a subcategory of the conditional use of "would", then in addition to "permission", are these subcategories of the conditional use?
Would two o'clock fit your
Can you tell me how does this use of the modal "would" work: the future of the past? I am trying very hard to understand the whole point but it is not easy.
I think you said "Request" is a subcategory of the conditional use of "would", then in addition to "permission", are these subcategories of the conditional use?
Would two o'clock fit your
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