Will Would

Hello! Let’s explore the modal verbs ‘will’ and ‘would’, building on our previous conversation about ‘can’ and ‘could’ [Previous Conversation].

As we discussed, modal verbs are special types of auxiliary verbs used to indicate various modalities like likelihood, ability, request, capacity, suggestion, obligation, or advice [486, Previous Conversation]. They are non-tensed auxiliaries, meaning they don’t inherently show past, present, or future tense on their own, and they do not take inflections like ‘-ing’, ‘-es’, or ‘-ed’ [500, 716, 718, Previous Conversation].

Understanding ‘Will’ and ‘Would’ 🗣️

The main difference between ‘will’ and ‘would’ is that ‘will’ is generally used for real situations and always signifies the future, whereas ‘would’ is used for imaginary situations in the future or of the past.

Let’s break down their uses with examples:

‘Will’ 🚀

‘Will’ primarily expresses future actions and certainties in real situations.

1. Future Information: Use ‘will’ to give factual information about the future.
   • Example: “We’ll head home after work.” 🏡
2. Thoughts or Guesses about the Future: It’s used when you think or guess something will happen.
   • Example: “Don’t lend him your car. He’ll crash it.” 🚗💥
3. Readiness or Openness: ‘Will’ can indicate that someone is ready or open to doing something without objections.
   • Example: “I will eat anything, I’m not picky at all.” 😋
4. General Rules or Orders: You’ll find ‘will’ in general rules, signs, company policies, or when giving commands.
   • Example: “Smokers will be asked to smoke outside.” 🚭
   • Example (Order): “You will tidy up our room.” 🧹
5. First Conditional (Likely Future): ‘Will’ is used in the main clause of first conditional sentences, which talk about actions or events in the future that are likely to happen.
   • Structure: If + present simple, will + infinitive.
   • Example: “If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home.” 🌧️➡️🏠
6. Informal Requests/Proposals: In informal settings, ‘will’ can be used for requests or proposals.
   • Example: “Will you come in?”
   • Example: “Will you have a cup of coffee?” ☕

‘Would’ 💭

‘Would’ often deals with hypothetical, past, or more polite situations.

1. Imaginary Situations: This is a core use of ‘would’, especially for things that are not real or are highly unlikely.
   • Example: “If I had a lot of money, I would retire early.” 💰🌴 (This implies the speaker doesn’t have a lot of money)
2. Expected Past Events: ‘Would’ can describe things that were expected to happen in the past.
   • Example: “The sky was getting cloudy, which meant it would rain.” ☁️☔
3. Past Habits: Use ‘would’ to talk about habits in the past.
   • Example: “When I was young, I would play tennis with my brother.” 🎾👧 (Note: For state verbs like ’live’, ‘used to’ is grammatically more accurate than ‘would’. For example, ‘When I was young, I used to live in an old house’ is preferred over ‘I would live in an old house’).
4. Second Conditional (Impossible/Unlikely): ‘Would’ is used in the main clause of second conditional sentences, which talk about impossible things in the present or unlikely things in the future.
   • Structure: If + past simple, would + infinitive.
   • Example: “If I had a magic wand, I would change some historical events.” ✨📜
5. Polite/Formal Requests & Offers: ‘Would’ is commonly used for more polite or formal requests and offers.
   • Example: “Would you please come in?”
   • Example (Offer): “Would you like a cup of coffee?” ☕
   • Note on Requests: While ‘can’ and ‘could’ are also used for requests, ‘could’ is generally more polite than ‘can’. ‘Would’ is also used for requests, often signifying a higher degree of politeness or formality. However, the fixed phrase “would you mind” cannot be replaced by ‘could’.
6. Expressing Liking and Preferences: ‘Would’ is used with verbs like ’love’, ‘hate’, ‘prefer’, ’like’, and ‘glad’ to describe certain situations or preferences.
   • Example: “I would be glad to help.” 😊
   • Example: “I would love to go on a trip to Spain.” 🇪🇸❤️
7. Giving Opinions on Uncertain Things: When giving an opinion about something uncertain, ‘would’ is preferred over ‘will’.
   • Example: “I would say he is about 40.” 🧔
8. Wishes: Use ‘would’ after “I wish” to express desires.
   • Example: “I wish she would leave me.” 🙏
9. Expressing the Result of an Action: ‘Would’ is used to express the result or intention of an action, often with phrases like “so that” or “in order”.
   • Example: “He burned all the letters so that his mother would never read them.” 🔥✉️
10. Reported Speech: ‘Would’ serves as the past form of ‘will’ in reported speech, indicating a past belief or certainty about a future event from that past perspective.
    • Example: “I knew he would pass the exam.” (Referring to a belief held in the past)
    • Example: “She told me that she would be here at 8 o’clock.” 🗣️⏰

Practice Questions 📝

Choose the most appropriate modal verb (‘will’ or ‘would’) for each sentence.

1. If I won the lottery, I _______ travel the world. 🌍
2. I think it _______ rain later; the sky is very dark. ⛈️
3. When I was a child, I _______ often visit my grandparents on weekends. 🏡👴👵
4. _______ you mind opening the window, please? It’s a bit stuffy. 🌬️
5. She told me she _______ be late for the meeting. 🚶‍♀️
6. Smokers _______ be fined if they smoke inside the building. 🏢
7. I wish you _______ listen to me more often! 👂
8. If you study hard, you _______ pass the exam easily. 📚✔️

Solutions ✅

1. If I won the lottery, I would travel the world. 🌍 (Imaginary situation – second conditional)
2. I think it will rain later; the sky is very dark. ⛈️ (Guess/thought about a likely future event)
3. When I was a child, I would often visit my grandparents on weekends. 🏡👴👵 (Past habit)
4. Would you mind opening the window, please? It’s a bit stuffy. 🌬️ (Polite request, fixed phrase)
5. She told me she would be late for the meeting. 🚶‍♀️ (Reported speech, past of ‘will’)
6. Smokers will be fined if they smoke inside the building. 🏢 (General rule/order)
7. I wish you would listen to me more often! 👂 (Wish/desire)
8. If you study hard, you will pass the exam easily. 📚✔️ (Likely future event – first conditional)