Should / Would into relative clause

[opos]

In the sentence

"It's surprising that this restaurant ______ be so successful. The food isn't very good"

which is the correct:

"would" or "should" ?

again thanks in advance

[edison_chen_e_c]

I think 'would' would be better here.

It's surprising that this restaurant would be so successful (now/in the future). The food isn't very good.

It's surprising that this restaurant would become so successful (now/in the future). The food isn't very good.

It's surprising because you don't know this restaurant would be so successful now/in the future.

(You think it lousy, and it's so surprising that now it would be so successful)

But we often use 'should' to express something rather possible, logical.

Henry should get here soon---he left home at 6.
We're spending the winter in Florida. 'That should/would be nice.'

[Mister Micawber]

.
'Should' and 'would' as conditional auxiliaries are essentially interchangeable. Either will serve in your sentence, jonifa.
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_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[edison_chen_e_c]

As what Mr. MM said, I have a check on 'would/should'. They are interchangeable sometimes in British English:

If I knew her name, I would/should tell you.
If we had a map, we would/should be able to get out of here.
(Pratical English Usage by Michael Swan 260.3)

And sometimes there's difference between 'would' and 'should':

If you should (not would)run into Peter, tell him he owes me a letter.
If he should (not would)be late, we will (not would)have to start without him.
(Pratical English Usage by Michael Swan 261.2)

[Alan]

Hi Jonifa,

I would choose 'should' as it has a special sense here of was due to/was going to be ...

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story In short

[lost_soul]

Hi, Mister Micawber

I just checked with my grammar book and they offer 2 possibilities:

[Mister Micawber]

.

[don geraldos]

Quickliy scanning the first four or five pages of the results you have given above, I should guess that most of those 381,000 examples are in the third person and 'would' is correct. Other than as a synonym for 'ought to' [You should/ought to see the doctor about that cough] do Americans never use 'I/we should'?

[Mister Micawber]

.
Oh, sure-- I use both. I think it varies with the individual (or region?) though.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber