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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Would?
Hi teacherd and native speakers
What is the function of the "would" in the sentence below?
The melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
I don't undertand its meaning. As far as I know, would doesn't refer to possiblity or something like that.
What is the function of the "would" in the sentence below?
The melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
I don't undertand its meaning. As far as I know, would doesn't refer to possiblity or something like that.
Top answer
It's conditional. Think of it as If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted, the melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
- It's conditional.
- Think of it as If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted, the melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
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4 Answers
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It's conditional.
Think of it as
If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted,
the melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
Think of it as
If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted,
the melting of all the ice mass in the Arctic would raise the sea level by several metres.
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Thanks Clive. So, you say that there is a hidden "if clause" in this sentence? I'm confused.
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It's a hypothetical situation where "would" is quite frequently used. In fact, you can rephrase the sentence to read
If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted, it would raise the sea level by several metres. (conditional II)
If all the ice mass in the Arctic melted, it would raise the sea level by several metres. (conditional II)
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