ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE
LINGUISTICS & CULTURE
PORTUGUESE
LINGUISTICS & CULTURE
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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE LINGUISTICS & CULTURE |
| Autor: | m robertson |
| E-mail: | não-disponível |
| Data: | 19/MAI/2003 7:47 PM |
| Assunto: | Re: Would ? |
| Mensagem: |
Further to the discussion about would Would is a ‘remote’ (second) version of ‘will’ - one of the main functions of second form verbs is to assert things in a polite/soft/tentative way - so as well as expressing wishes about desirable, but as yet unrealized, circumstances it can be used to provide suggestions and advice in a delicate way (psychological distance – polite version) Will you pass me the salt please - direct Would you pass me the salt please – much softer and ‘polite’ (would implying uncertainty and thereby presenting the recipient of the request with a choice) Being one of the modal auxiliaries, would is used to express speaker’s interpretation of matters such as obligation, probability, desirability – these are all highly subjective areas and the sometimes inconsistent and tricky uses of the modal auxiliaries (especially should) reflect this Some uses of would are purely idiomatic and do not fit any overall usage patterns – in which case the job for the learner is memorization – comparable to dealing with phrasal verbs |
English Made in Brazil -- English, Portuguese, & contrastive linguistics
Would ? – Marlon 19/MAI/2003, 10:04 AM Re: Would ? – Miguel Vieira 19/MAI/2003, 2:08 PM 
Re: Would ? – m robertson 19/MAI/2003, 7:47 PM