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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Would
"Leaving the EU would hit British living standards, stoke inflation and wipe up to 5.5% off GDP, the International Monetary Fund has warned with less than a week to go until the referendum." (The Guardian.)
Is "would" a tentative equivalent of "will" in the above sentence?
Is "would" a tentative equivalent of "will" in the above sentence?
Top answer
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5 Answers
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It's because the act of leaving is hypothetical. No decision has been made yet.
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CliveIt's because the act of leaving is hypothetical. No decision has been made yet.Thank you for the reply.
What about "hit", "stoke", and "wipe out"? Are those actions also hypothetically advanced?
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AnonymousLeaving the EU would hit British living standards, stoke inflation and wipe up to 5.5% off GDP ...This is an implicit conditional. The gerund subject is, in effect, the if-clause; the rest is the main clause with "would".
If Britain left the EU, this (departure) would hit British living standards, (would) stoke inflation and (would)
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CalifJimThis is an implicit conditional. The gerund subject is, in effect, the if-clause; the rest is the main clause with "would".Thank you for the most convincing explanation.
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