Would

UNIT 37  Would

A.   Sometimes we use would after I wish . . . . Study this example:

It is raining. Tom wants to go out, but not in the rain. He says:

I wish it would stop raining.

This means that Tom is complaining about the rain and wants it to stop. We use I wish . . . would . . . when we want something to happen or somebody to do something. The speaker is complaining about the present situation.

• I wish someone would answer that telephone. It's been for about ringing for five minutes.

• The music next door is very loud, I wish they would turn it down.

We often use I wish . . . wouldn't to complain about the way people do things:

• I wish you wouldn't drive so fast. It makes me nervous.

 We use I wish . . . would when we want something to change or somebody else to do something. So you cannot say "I wish I would . . . .''



B.   Would/wouldn't is sometimes the past of will/won't:

present   Tom: I'll lend you some money, Ann.
past         Tom said that he would lend Ann some money

present   Ann: I promise I won't be late.
past         Ann promised that she wouldn't be late.

present   Tom: Darn it! The car won't start.
past         Tom was angry because the car wouldn't start.


C.   You can also use would when you look back on the past and remember things that often happened:

• When we were children, we lived by the sea. In summer, if the weather was nice, we would all get up early and go for a swim.

• Whenever Linda was angry, she would just walk out of the room.

Used to is also possible in these sentences:

• we all used to get up early and go . . .