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The usage of 'would'



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
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The usage of 'would' #1 (permalink) Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:32 am   The usage of 'would'		  
hello,

I saw the below sentence in my book:
The sick boy shout:'' would I were in good health !''
I think the verb "were'' should be changed into ''be''.Am I right?
I also saw this sentence in a letter:"would you you like to come and stay with us. Don't you think your children would love to visit the countryside?''
I wonder why we use ''would'' instead of ''will''.Oh! the usage of ''would'' is so complicated. please help me. Wink
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Duc
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Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Posts: 260
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The usage of 'would' #2 (permalink) Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:59 am   The usage of 'would'		  
.
I don't like some of the things in your book, duc. Sad
Quote:
The sick boy shouted:'' Would I were in good health!''
I think the verb "were'' should be changed into ''be''.Am I right?

The word "were" is fine in the sentence, but it would be much more common if the boy said "I wish I were in good health" or "I wish I were healthy". The word 'were' is subjunctive and it is used to talk about something that is contrary to fact.

The expression "Would (that) I were ..." is extremely old-fashioned/literary, and I would never expect a boy to use it at all.
Quote:
I also saw this sentence in a letter:"Would you like to come and stay with us. Don't you think your children would love to visit the countryside?''
I wonder why we use ''would'' instead of ''will''.
You can use 'would like' as a polite form of 'want':
1. Do you want to come ...
2. Would you like to come ...? =>This is basically a polite form of (1).

The word 'would' can make a sentence more tentative and therefore more polite. The word 'would' is also used to form a conditional future:

The children would love it if they came to the countryside.
.
Yankee
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The usage of 'would' #3 (permalink) Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:29 pm   The usage of 'would'		  
Yankee wrote:
.
I don't like some of the things in your book, duc. Sad
Quote:
The sick boy shouted:'' Would I were in good health!''
I think the verb "were'' should be changed into ''be''.Am I right?

I agree that that was a terrible sentence, and I agree with Amy's corrections, except I think something needs to be added.

The sentence requires the subordinating conjunction "that".

"Would that I were in good health!"
Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5332
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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without vs unless | The verb aim...
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