Will vs Would

Expert replies

jumsumtak: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 45; Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:11 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 8 times

by jumsumtak » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:43 am

State lawmakers are considering a law that would/will allow children of divorced parents as young as seven to choose the parent that they will live with, a policy that will likely dissuade their parents from disciplining or punishing their children.

So why will or why would ?

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:43 am

ollapodrida: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 37; Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:49 pm; Thanked: 4 times

by ollapodrida » Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:06 pm

Will is the future tense form. Would is the conditional tense. Would is used to express the future from the past's point of view.

The usual tense sequences are either Present + Future or Past + Conditional.
ie.
Use either:
lawmakers are considering a law that will ...
or
lawmakers considered a law that would ...

Like this post

jumsumtak: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 45; Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:11 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 8 times

by jumsumtak » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:13 pm

I agree.

But the explanation to this question says, as we are not certain whether the law will definitely be passed we should use conditional here i.e. would is correct.

Is that right ?

Like this post

ollapodrida: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 37; Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:49 pm; Thanked: 4 times

by ollapodrida » Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:46 am

jumsumtak wrote:I agree.

But the explanation to this question says, as we are not certain whether the law will definitely be passed we should use conditional here i.e. would is correct.

Is that right ?

@jumsutak:
My understanding is that if we think something is going to happen, we use "will". However, if we think something is unlikely to happen, we use "would".

I guess one could argue that a law such as the one proposed in the question was probably not going to be passed.

The following links provide more detailed explanations on the the use of conditional verb forms:

https://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conditional.htm
https://www.englishpage.com/conditional/ ... ional.html

Like this post

Gotama: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 6; Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 4:53 am; Thanked: 1 times

by Gotama » Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:15 am

Since the lawmakers are considering the law, it is more correct to say what the effect "would" be (for the reason that ollapodrida gave).

Like this post

GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:01 am

jumsumtak wrote:State lawmakers are considering a law that would/will allow children of divorced parents as young as seven to choose the parent that they will live with, a policy that will likely dissuade their parents from disciplining or punishing their children.

So why will or why would ?

One use of the subjunctive mood is for a situation that is HYPOTHETICAL or CONTRARY-TO-FACT.
In the sentence above, WOULD (subjunctive) is appropriate because the lawmakers are only CONSIDERING the law.
Therefore, the effects of the law are HYPOTHETICAL: they will be felt only if the law is actually PASSED.
Here is the implied meaning:

State lawmakers are considering a law that -- if passed -- WOULD allow children of divorced parents to choose...

WILL would be appropriate if the law were a done deal:

State lawmakers have just PASSED a law that, starting next year, WILL allow children of divorced parents to choose...

Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3

Like this post

Post new topic Locked

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

560 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review