Would
Can someone explain the use of "would have been" and "would have been working" in the sentence below?
1) Mary would have been in the kitchen when her husband was on his way home.
2) Lawyers would have been working behind the scenes while negotiations were going on.
If I rewrote the sentences as below, would the meaning of them change?
1) Mary was in the kitchen when her husband was on his way home.
2) Lawyers were working behind the scenes while negotiations were going on.
Thank you.
Top answer
The 'would have been' versions suggest that the writer is not certain about this. He thinks it is probably true. A more common and more natural way to say this is: 1) Mary was probably in the kitchen when her husband was on his way home.
- The 'would have been' versions suggest that the writer is not certain about this.
- He thinks it is probably true.
- A more common and more natural way to say this is: 1) Mary was probably in the kitchen when her husband was on his way home.
- 2) Lawyers were probably working behind the scenes while negotiations were going on .
- Your rewritten versions remove the uncertainty and express the sentences as facts.
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The 'would have been' versions suggest that the writer is not certain about this. He thinks it is probably true.
A more common and more natural way to say this is:
1) Mary was probably in the kitchen when her husband was on his way home.
2) Lawyers were probably working behind the scenes while negotiations were going on.
Your rewritten v
0teal limeIf I rewrote the sentences as below, would the meaning of them change?
Yes. I agree with Clive on this, but let me just say that you can keep the meaning of the original fairly closely if you just add I find it reasonable to assume that at the beginning of your new versions, meaning that the speaker finds it reasonable to make that assumpti
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