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Tamguatlay Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Would it be wrong if we use 'want' and 'can' instead?

First, institution names, such as the United States,the House of Lords, and Congress, tend to use singular verbs. This is probably because we see institutions as units; we don't think of the members as individuals. So we would most likely say, "Congress is meeting today." If you wanted to emphasise the individuals in congress, you could say, "The members of Congress are meeting today."

Would it be wrong if we use 'want' and 'can' instead?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

tamguatlay Would it be wrong if we use 'want' and 'can' instead? Yes, but it would be out of uniformity with ''we would most likely say' in the preceding sentence.

— Mister Micawber

  • tamguatlay Would it be wrong if we use 'want' and 'can' instead?
  • Yes, but it would be out of uniformity with ''we would most likely say' in the preceding sentence.
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3 Answers
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tamguatlayWould it be wrong if we use 'want' and 'can' instead?
Yes, but it would be out of uniformity with ''we would most likely say' in the preceding sentence.
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Thanks, MM.
Mister MicawberYes, but it would be out of uniformity with ''we would most likely say' in the preceding sentence.
So we will most likely say, "Congress is meeting today." If you want to emphasise the individuals in congress, you can say, "The members of Congress are meeting today."

Is it possible to change 'would'
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tamguatlayIs it possible to change 'would' to 'will', as I have done above and change the the other verbs to present tense verbs?
Yes. An acceptable second choice.
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