Believer Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
Would and could; in past or not?
1 i 00 Hi, 02 i 02 br
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00 Can the words 'could' and 'would' be used to express ' possibiliry' and 'conditional intention' respectively in both present and past settings? I think it can. 02 br
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00 CalifJim wrote this in one of his responses in the tread named 'would, would have/ could , could have?': 02 br
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01 i 00 couldn't 02 i 00 can mean several things. 01 i 00 couldn't 02 i 00 can mean 01 i 00 it was not possible 02 i 00 , but it can also mean 01 i 00 it would not be possible. 02 i 00 In the first case it has the sense of the past; in the second case it has the sense of a hypothetical present tense, that is, it places the whole idea into the world of conjecture, saying, in effect, it is not possible in any possible world, under any possible circumstances. 02 br
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01 i 00 I tried to reach the top shelf, but I couldn't. 02 i 00 (past sense: 01 i 00 I was not able / It was not possible 02 i 00 ) 02 br
01 i 00 I'm sorry, but I couldn't do that for you; it's dishonest. 02 i 00 (hypothetical: 01 i 00 I would not be able / It would not be possible / It is not possible no matter what you say or do 02 i 00 ) 02 br
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00 Here, for CJ's sentence 'I tried ro reach the top shelf, but I couldn't', I think I could say 'couldn't' here takes 'possibility' part to the past; whereas. the 'couldn't do' in CJ's second sentence 'I'm sorry, but I couldn't do that for you, it's dishonest', can be said to lay out the setting in the present-time frame (I think). This what I think is a similar mode of operation (if I can use this phrase to say I want to say here) in both time contexts is what is confusing me. Sometimes I am not so sure whether the 'would' or 'could' is taking back the setting to the past or playing out the sentence scene in the present-time frame with no taking back. 02 br
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00 When she was ready to be shipped to the U.S., a problem appeared on the other side of the Atlantic, the base on which she would stand was not completed. 02 br
02 br
00 In this sentence, (I think 'she' is referring to the Lady of Liberty) I am not sure whether the 'would' is playing its modal role in the past, the time when she was ready to be shipped, or plainly giving the sense of a 'conditional intention' without the concern of the past. 02 br
02 br
00 Help 0-
02 br
00 Can the words 'could' and 'would' be used to express ' possibiliry' and 'conditional intention' respectively in both present and past settings? I think it can. 02 br
02 br
00 CalifJim wrote this in one of his responses in the tread named 'would, would have/ could , could have?': 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 couldn't 02 i 00 can mean several things. 01 i 00 couldn't 02 i 00 can mean 01 i 00 it was not possible 02 i 00 , but it can also mean 01 i 00 it would not be possible. 02 i 00 In the first case it has the sense of the past; in the second case it has the sense of a hypothetical present tense, that is, it places the whole idea into the world of conjecture, saying, in effect, it is not possible in any possible world, under any possible circumstances. 02 br
02 br
01 i 00 I tried to reach the top shelf, but I couldn't. 02 i 00 (past sense: 01 i 00 I was not able / It was not possible 02 i 00 ) 02 br
01 i 00 I'm sorry, but I couldn't do that for you; it's dishonest. 02 i 00 (hypothetical: 01 i 00 I would not be able / It would not be possible / It is not possible no matter what you say or do 02 i 00 ) 02 br
02 br
00 Here, for CJ's sentence 'I tried ro reach the top shelf, but I couldn't', I think I could say 'couldn't' here takes 'possibility' part to the past; whereas. the 'couldn't do' in CJ's second sentence 'I'm sorry, but I couldn't do that for you, it's dishonest', can be said to lay out the setting in the present-time frame (I think). This what I think is a similar mode of operation (if I can use this phrase to say I want to say here) in both time contexts is what is confusing me. Sometimes I am not so sure whether the 'would' or 'could' is taking back the setting to the past or playing out the sentence scene in the present-time frame with no taking back. 02 br
02 br
00 When she was ready to be shipped to the U.S., a problem appeared on the other side of the Atlantic, the base on which she would stand was not completed. 02 br
02 br
00 In this sentence, (I think 'she' is referring to the Lady of Liberty) I am not sure whether the 'would' is playing its modal role in the past, the time when she was ready to be shipped, or plainly giving the sense of a 'conditional intention' without the concern of the past. 02 br
02 br
00 Help 0-
Top answer
0 Let's concentrate on the situation involving the Statue of Liberty. Here 01 i 00 would 02 i 00 is not used in the ways I talked about in previous posts. Here 01 i 00 would 02 i 00 occupies a position in the following paradigm: 02 br 01 i 00 She is going to stand there.
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0
0 Let's concentrate on the situation involving the Statue of Liberty. Here 01 i 00 would 02 i 00 is not used in the ways I talked about in previous posts. Here 01 i 00 would 02 i 00 occupies a position in the following paradigm: 02 br
01 i 00 She is going to stand there. ~ She will stand there. 02 i 02 br
01 i 00 She was goi
01 i 00 She is going to stand there. ~ She will stand there. 02 i 02 br
01 i 00 She was goi
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1 blockquote
00 you underst
01 cite 10 Believer 12 cite 10 When she was ready to be shipped to the U.S., a problem appeared on the other side of the Atlantic, 11 i 11 b 10 the base 12 b 12 i 10 on which she would stand 11 i 11 b 10 was not completed. 12 b 12 i 12 blockquote10 Hi, 02 br
00 you underst
00
0 01 blockquote
00 CJ 010id 1
01 cite 10 Kooyeen 12 cite 10 Without context, ... most modal verbs (if not all) are potentially ambiguous. 12 blockquote10 True, and sometimes even 01 u 00 with 02 u 00 context, they are ambiguous. 05 0 02 br
00 CJ 010id 1
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