Will
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia exploded. The crew of seven would die in a fiery explosion as the ship attempted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.
I wonder if “would” means ‘1“ , ”2“ or anything else.
1, past of “will”
2. possibly died
I would like to know the difference in the meaning between “3” and “4”.
3. The crew of seven died in a fiery explosion
4. The crew of seven would die in a fiery explosion
Top answer
Hi You are right to say that, literally, the sentence means (in brief): - The crew died. That is the simple past tense and could have been used instead of the 'would' form. The sentence you give has the past narrative tense.
- Hi You are right to say that, literally, the sentence means (in brief): - The crew died.
- That is the simple past tense and could have been used instead of the 'would' form.
- The sentence you give has the past narrative tense.
- It is used to describe events in the past as if a story is being told.
- It tends to be used if the events are tragic or if they are nostalgic - or if the speaker just wants to give that kind of story-telling feel to the words: - I'll never forget those times when my brother and I would play marbles in the playground.
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Hi
You are right to say that, literally, the sentence means (in brief):
- The crew died.
That is the simple past tense and could have been used instead of the 'would' form.
The sentence you give has the past narrative tense. It is used to describe events in the past as if a story is being told. It tends to be used if the events are tragic or if they are nostalgic - or
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