Stenka25 Posted 18 years ago
Vocabulary
the meaning of would
0 There's a story about a farmer who had a donkey. In that story there are the following sentences. 02 br
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00 A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. The donkey 00 would 00 shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well. 02 br
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00 What I want to ask is the meaning of the underlined "would." Can you tell me and another example if you can. 02 br
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00 And a man I know gave me the below answer. 02 br
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00 The "would" here gives an idea of a repeated action in the past. 00 It could give the sense as always or every time 02 br
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00 For example 02 br
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00 When I went to bed, I would listen to the owls outside. 02 br
00 When the child was happy, he would laugh. 02 br
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00 But I don't think my 'would' cannot mean a repeated action in the past. 02 br
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00 You see, donkey just once shook it off and took a step up, not repeatedly. 02 br
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00 Can you give me an exact meaning of 00 would 00 in question? 02 br
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02 br
00 A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. The donkey 00 would 00 shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well. 02 br
02 br
00 What I want to ask is the meaning of the underlined "would." Can you tell me and another example if you can. 02 br
02 br
00 And a man I know gave me the below answer. 02 br
02 br
02 br
00 The "would" here gives an idea of a repeated action in the past. 00 It could give the sense as always or every time 02 br
02 br
00 For example 02 br
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00 When I went to bed, I would listen to the owls outside. 02 br
00 When the child was happy, he would laugh. 02 br
02 br
02 br
00 But I don't think my 'would' cannot mean a repeated action in the past. 02 br
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00 You see, donkey just once shook it off and took a step up, not repeatedly. 02 br
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00 Can you give me an exact meaning of 00 would 00 in question? 02 br
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Top answer
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00 It does indeed indicate a repeated action in the past: 01 u 00 every time 02 u 00 the farmer threw a shovel full down the well onto the donkey's back, the donkey would shake it off and take 01 u 00 another 02 u 00 step up. 0-
00 It does indeed indicate a repeated action in the past: 01 u 00 every time 02 u 00 the farmer threw a shovel full down the well onto the donkey's back, the donkey would shake it off and take 01 u 00 another 02 u 00 step up. 0-
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0 01 blockquote
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00 See 05 0 00 . 02 br
01 cite 10 Stenka25 12 cite 10 I don't think my 'would' cannot mean a repeated action in the past 12 blockquote10 That's strange, since both Yankee and I answered the exact same question for you last month, and both of us told you it means repeated action in the past. 02 br
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00 See 05 0 00 . 02 br
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0 Yeah, you are right. 02 br
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00 But 01 00 StartFragment 00 > 02 br
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01 font 00 The story has not been quoted in full 02 font 00 . 01 font 00 That's why it seems a little strange 02 font 00 . 02 br
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00 ... 02 br
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00 A few sh
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00 But 01 00 StartFragment 00 > 02 br
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01 font 00 The story has not been quoted in full 02 font 00 . 01 font 00 That's why it seems a little strange 02 font 00 . 02 br
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00 ... 02 br
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00 A few sh
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