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Tenjing Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Would
A. I think the correct answer would be the first one. The past of this sentence is 'I thought the correct answer would be the first one'.
B. I think he will do that. The past of this sentence is ' I thought he would do that'.
In the sentence A 'would' is not change but in sentence B 'will' is changed into 'would'. Would is on both sentences but they are working differently, right? Please explain, it's confusing.
B. I think he will do that. The past of this sentence is ' I thought he would do that'.
In the sentence A 'would' is not change but in sentence B 'will' is changed into 'would'. Would is on both sentences but they are working differently, right? Please explain, it's confusing.
Top answer
tenjing it's confusing So is your question. How much of A is 'sentence A'?
- tenjing it's confusing So is your question.
- How much of A is 'sentence A'?
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7 Answers
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tenjing it's confusingSo is your question. How much of A is 'sentence A'?
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(B) is more straightforward: "would" is the past tense of "will".
(A) is more complicated because "would" in the original sentence just adds a vague-ish hypothetical or tentative nuance to the sentence (versus saying "I think the correct answer is the first one"). There is no systematic or exact way to convert this nuance into a past form, and arguably your past tense sentence does not ex
(A) is more complicated because "would" in the original sentence just adds a vague-ish hypothetical or tentative nuance to the sentence (versus saying "I think the correct answer is the first one"). There is no systematic or exact way to convert this nuance into a past form, and arguably your past tense sentence does not ex
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tenjingI think the correct answer would be the first one. The past of this sentence is 'I thought the correct answer would be the first one'.Or, I thought the correct answer would have been the first one.
CJ
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CalifJimOr, I thought the correct answer would have been the first one.However, I feel this does suggest that the correct answer wasn't actually the first one, which is not an implication present in the original sentence.
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Thank you both for the replies. I just want to know whether the past sentences with 'would' correct or not?
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tenjing Is the past of sentence 'A' correct?It is correct English. However, as I mentioned, it is debatable in my opinion whether it is exactly a past-tense version of the original sentence.
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