What is "would" doing here?
"I used to put a lot of time and effort into my appearance every time I left the house."
"I used to put a lot of time and effort into my appearance every time I would leave the house."
Left vs. Would leave. There's no difference in meaning, right? They're both grammatical, I imagine. I'm just wondering if one construction is more "correct" than the other and whether there's a name for the would-leave sentence type. It's not a conditional sentence, so I'm not sure what function the "would" serves. Thanks!
Top answer
anonymous if one construction is more "correct" than the other No, both are correct. anonymous whether there's a name for the would-leave sentence type No. anonymous I'm not sure what function the "would" serves.
- anonymous if one construction is more "correct" than the other No, both are correct.
- anonymous whether there's a name for the would-leave sentence type No.
- anonymous I'm not sure what function the "would" serves.
- It is less blunt and direct.
- It also suggests a story as compared to a simple fact.
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anonymous if one construction is more "correct" than the other
No, both are correct.
anonymouswhether there's a name for the would-leave sentence type
No.
anonymous I'm not sure what function the "would" serves.
It is less blunt and direct. It also suggests a story as comp
0anonymous"I used to put a lot of time and effort into my appearance every time I left the house."
OK.
anonymous"I used to put a lot of time and effort into my appearance every time I would leave the house."
In my view this is not correct. In the right context, "would" can refer to repeated or regular past behaviour
0anonymouswhether there's a name for the would-leave sentence type.
The only characterization I've heard doesn't really count as an official grammatical name, but it is a useful one: "the would of the habitual past".
CJ
0
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