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Rwiles Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Should / Could

0 Maybe the grammar experts amongst you could help answer this: 02br
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00I have heard 3 conflicting views as to which of the following is 'correct' English (if one even is, as the third view offered was that neither was wrong) 02br
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001. I would be grateful if you could......... 02br
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002. I should be grateful if you would....... 02br
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00The context here is to be deemed irrelevant, as my question relates to the interchangeability of the two, and whether or not one is more gramatically correct than the other. 02br
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00My gut feeling is that despite many people using the first one colloquially, gramatically the second is 'more correct' 05002br
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00Thanks, 02br
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00Rich 010id7
  

Top answer

0My opinion, Rich, is that both are fine, and that #2 is now rather stilted (or at least very formal) since the 1st person 'shall/should' is almost unused. BrE may well differ in that. The 'would' and 'could' to me are just two options of courtesy.

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3 Answers
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0My opinion, Rich, is that both are fine, and that #2 is now rather stilted (or at least very formal) since the 1st person 'shall/should' is almost unused. BrE may well differ in that. The 'would' and 'could' to me are just two options of courtesy. 0-
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0 I'd agree that both are fine. Should/shall seems to be commoner in BrE, though it does give an impression of 'formality', esp. in spoken English – except in set expressions such as 'I should think so', 'I should say!', etc. 02br
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00MrP 0-
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0Thanks050010id1
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