Would/would have

Question

Hi. I have previously asked it herehttps://forum.wordreference.com/threads/would-would-have.3435378/But I still don't understand why "would have been annoyed" can't express an assumption of a past situation here?And does "would" express an assumption of a past situation here? Or it just serves as backshifting of "will" here?Thank you.

Englishmaven · Accepted Answer

I agree that it could be an example of past assumption.

CalifJim · Answer

zuotengdazuodoes "would" express an assumption of a past situation here? Or it just serves as backshifting of "will" here?

It's a backshift.

It was half seven; he his mother would be annoyed because he was so late.
=
It was half seven; his mother was going to be annoyed because he was so late.

This is the future of the past.

There is no past situation being assumed here unless it is that his mother was always annoyed when he was late, but that is background information that is so easily inferred that it is trivial. It has no bearing on the use of 'would' in this sentence.

zuotengdazuo"would have been annoyed"

This construction is distinctly odd in that passage.

It was half seven; his mother would have been annoyed because he was so late.

I'm not sure what to make of it. She would have been annoyed at some other time or in some other situation, but she wasn't annoyed in this case?

I would read it as synonymous with the first sentence above (with 'would be') and just figure that the writer was having a bad day.

I suppose you can take just about any sentence you want and change some of the words and ask what it means with the change, but much of the time you'll find that the change just creates oddities, if not nonsense.

CJ

Would/would have

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