Dictionaries TOEIC TOEFL GMAT SAT GRE MCAT PCAT ASVAB Interviews

Tests Grammar Articles Stories Shop Services English for winners Speaking

Home Top 100 Start your FREE email English course now! Audio Lessons Jobs

Username
Password
Remember me?

Search Album FAQ Memberlist Profile Private messages Register Log in

Expression: would begin

2206 English Language Exercises

Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC

ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms

Is this grammatically correct? -- I am to read a book | Were or was?

listening exercises • tell a friend

Message

Author

#1 (permalink) Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:00 am Expression: would begin

Hi,

A silly question again.

Quote:

Impressionable men in the squadron like Dobbs and Captain Flume were so deeply disturbed by Hungry Joe's shrieking nightmares that they would begin to have shrieking nightmares of their own,

Does this 'would' suggest 'they were going to begin' or 'were about to begin' so they didn't actually have shrieking nightmares of their own?

Thank you!

Haihao

Haihao
I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 2471
Location: Japan

#2 (permalink) Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:36 am would

Hi, I would suggest - it was likely that they were going to have nightmares. A _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple

Alan
Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 13891
Location: UK

Can you find all the prepositions in this story?

English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skills

Are you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!

How many different ways with words do you know? Subscribe to free email English course

Display posts from previous:

Is this grammatically correct? -- I am to read a book | Were or was?

	ESL Forums \| English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms	All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1

Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums

Start FREE email English course now!
Join more than 100,000 learners!

'hit him on the head' vs. 'hit him over the head' • Instruction and direction • Need your help, Alan (Being without friend is certainly sad. However, which...) • Correct use of being perfectly right... • Letter of confirmation • wait (for) 20 minutes • breathe vs breath • What is the meaning of cliche? • simple past vs. past perfect • He's trying to pinch my secretary... • Neck and Crack • Reported speech (Harry asked me if I HAD met Bill and Maria yet) • meaning of "I would not have a leg to stand on"

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Subscribe to FREE email English course

First name

E-mail