Would only confirm
"Sources at the Polish embassy, which represents 831,000 Polish-born UK residents, making Poles the largest overseas-born group in the country, would only confirm “cooperation” with the Home Office on the issue." (TheGuardian.)
How should the verb phrase "would only confirm" be read in the sentence above? Is it a hypothetical "would" there? What would be a semantic difference if "would only confirm" were replaced by the simple present "confirm" or present perfect "have confirmed"?
Top answer
anonymous Is it a hypothetical "would" there? No. It is something that really happened.
- anonymous Is it a hypothetical "would" there?
- No.
- It is something that really happened.
- anonymous What would be a semantic difference if "would only confirm" were replaced by the simple present "confirm" or present perfect "have confirmed" Yes.
- There is a difference in meaning.
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anonymous Is it a hypothetical "would" there?
No. It is something that really happened.
anonymousWhat would be a semantic difference if "would only confirm" were replaced by the simple present "confirm" or present perfect "have confirmed"
Yes. There is a difference in meaning.
The key word is "only."
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