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Pb03 Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

would & could

0 0100StartFragment00>02br
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00 Hello,02br
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00I have two questions which are related to the auxiliary verbs, 'would' and 'could.'02br
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00For the first question, I don't understand why the word "wouldn't" has been used in the following sentences, instead of "don't," which seems to be more proper in the context to me. What differences are there between the two words? 02br
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00The sentences are: 02br
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00I00’00ve00 got to 00be good at00 00math because I need to make sure the building00’00s 00dimensions00 are 00exact. I00 also have to know some00 00engineering.00 I 01font01u01b00wouldn00’00t02b02u00 02font00want to make a building that00’00s not 00structurally sound00 or00 which 00collapses00 soon after it gets 01font01font00erected02font00.02font02br
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01font00------02font02br
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00 And for the second question, what's the difference in the usage between "could" and "can" in the following sentences.02br
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00The sentences are:02br
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01font00Clients hire02font00 00me when they want to have some kind of new building. It 01u01b01font00could02font02b02u00 be a house, apartment, office building, or anything else.0-
  

Top answer

02br 02br 001 - it doesn't sound as though the person is actually an engineer. They are thinking about the future when they have finished training. 02br 02br 002.

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1 Answers
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0This is because both situations are dealing with hypotheticals.02br
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001 - it doesn't sound as though the person is actually an engineer. They are thinking about the future when they have finished training. So the situation of their creating a building is still hypothetical.02br
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002. Again, can is too definite, and 'could' is more hypothetical. T
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