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would vs could

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would vs could

by confuse mind » Tue May 22, 2012 10:23 pm
can someone please explain me the difference in the usage of would and could. Some examples to substantiate the point will be highly appreciated.

Thanks
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by jimmyjimmy » Thu May 24, 2012 12:38 pm
u should have given the examples, then it would be helpful.....
and u would hv many comments..
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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Thu May 24, 2012 1:04 pm
Would is more definite and implies that an action will take place if that condition is met:

If I were king, lawyers would be outlawed.

I would be able to run faster if my ankle healed properly.

Could implies that something is possible.

I could run faster if my ankle healed properly. (This does not mean that I WILL run faster, just that it would be possible for me to do so.)
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by agarwalva » Thu May 24, 2012 1:11 pm
confuse mind wrote:can someone please explain me the difference in the usage of would and could. Some examples to substantiate the point will be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Think of it this way:

Would's root word is "will"

Could's root word is "can"

Here are some examples (assume the speaker isn't lying!:

"I could run a mile in five minutes, but I don't want to right now."

The speaker can actually run the mile, but it's only a possibility.

"I would run a mile in five minutes, if my leg weren't broken."

The speaker can actually run the mile, but only if the leg weren't broken.
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by agarwalva » Fri May 25, 2012 1:07 pm
A good example of could vs would

In 1527 King Henry VIII sought to have his marriage to
Queen Catherine annulled <so as to marry Anne Boleyn>.
(A) so as to marry
(B) and so could be married to
(C) to be married to
(D) so that he could marry
(E) in order that he would marry

OA D

Correct. Th is sentence's construction clearly shows the reason that Henry sought an
annulment; could is more appropriate than would because the annulment would not
ensure his marriage-it would only enable him to marry.

optionE.. conditional would marry is incorrect


example of when to use would...

Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco was also of interest to the French throughout the first half of the twentieth century because they assumed that if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure.

(A) if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure
(B) without it their grip on Algeria would never be secure
(C) their grip on Algeria was not ever secure if they did not hold it
(D) without that, they could never be secure about their grip on Algeria
(E) never would their grip on Algeria be secure if they did not hold it

OA B

Correct. uses the conditional would never be.


Example where Could .. a possiblity
Combining enormous physical strength with higher intelligence, the Neanderthals appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path, but their relatively sudden disappearance during the Paleolithic era indicates that an inability to adapt to some environmental change led to their extinction.

(A) appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the
environment could put in their path,
(B) appear to have been equipped to face any
obstacle the environment could put in their path,
(C) appear as equipped to face any obstacle the
environment could put in their paths,
(D) appeared as equipped to face any obstacle the
environment could put in their paths,
(E) appeared to have been equipped for facing any
obstacle the environment could put in their path,

OA [spoiler]B
[/spoiler]Correct. The verb tense clearly indicates that the current evidence is about
Neanderthals in the past.
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by agarwalva » Sun May 27, 2012 9:25 am
from the great ..Ron

"would" has 2 main uses:

1 * it's the past tense of "will". i have no idea what the actual name of this tense is, but you can think of it as "a tense that WAS the future, at that time in the past."
for instance:
Jim knows that his son will make the game-winning shot.
this sentence translates into the past tense as
Jim knew that his son would make the game-winning shot.

2 * it's a CONDITIONAL - i.e., it describes what would occur in some alternate situation that is not actually the case.
for instance:
if i were rich, i would buy my own island.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/demographers ... tml#216712
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