“WOULD” for derogatory comment

Question

Dear everybodyAs I read on an English grammatical website.“WOULD” is also used for derogatory commentBut I am still vague about this. Could you pls help me explain more clearly?——Quote from the website———————would for derogatory commentThey would say that, wouldn't they? John said he didn't steal the money. | Well, he would, wouldn't he?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

LE HANH 2383They would say that, wouldn't they?

They would say that, just to cover the fact that they've done something wrong, immoral, or illegal. And the reason is that they are exactly the kind of people who would do such things.

LE HANH 2383John said he didn't steal the money. | Well, he would, wouldn't he?

Well, he would say he didn't steal the money because he is just the kind of person who steals and then lies about it.

'would' gets the stress in sentences like this.

In most cases, when you see an example like these in a book, it is not really there to teach you a new use of a word — "would" in this case. It more or less assumes that you have been in conversation with native speakers or have read quite a bit, so you have already come across expressions like this. These examples are there to trigger your memory of what you've already heard in conversation or seen in writing and to give you a better idea of what it means in that context. If you haven't read a lot or haven't spoken much with English speakers, the examples won't mean much to you. This particular use of "would" is not one that you'll come across very often.

CJ

“WOULD” for derogatory comment

would for derogatory comment

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