Let’s do a quick review of the proper usage of the function words “will” and “would,” “shall” and “should,” and “can” and “could,” which from my experience as an editor continue to be pitfalls to many learners and even some long-time users of English.
The most important thing to keep in mind about these word-pairs is that they aren’t meant for sentences that deal with simple facts or absolute certainties. They are distinct grammatical forms called
modal auxiliaries or modals, which work with verbs to convey various shades of necessity, advice, ability, expectation, permission, possibility, or conditionality.
IMAGE CREDITS: ESLGRAMMAR.ORG (ABOVE LEFT), PINTEREST.COM (ABOVE RIGHT)“Can” and “could.” These two modals convey the idea of ability, possibility, permission, or potential; “can” is the present-tense form, “could” the past-tense form. Ability: “She
can write novels.” “By then she
could no longer write novels.” Possibility: “The team
can win if its members are more disciplined.” Permission: “
Can I go out with my playmates now?” Potential: “With his political acumen, he
can be presidential timber.”
The modal “could” is also used to make a deferential or polite request, offer, or suggestion: “
Could you tell me how to leave the send-off party now without offending the boss?” But among social, age, or professional coequals, “can” is more suitable: “
Can you tell me how to leave the send-off party now without offending the boss?”
“Will” and “would.” The usual function of “will” is as a
verbal auxiliary for expressing simple futurity, as in “Evelyn
will go to Tokyo tomorrow.” As a
modal, however, “will” works to convey choice, willingness, intention, consent, or habitual or customary action. Choice: “I
will take the train instead of the bus.” Willingness: “I
will go if you wish.” Intention: “I
will prove you wrong.” Consent: “Yes, the school
will admit you.” Habitual or customary action: “She
will get angry over trivial things.”
In the past tense, the modal “will” inflects to “would.” Choice: “That year, I
would fly first class rather than economy.” Willingness: “In my mid-twenties, I
would go wherever I was assigned.” Habitual or customary action: “After breaking up with her fiancé, Joanna
would get angry over trivial things.”
In conditional sentences, the modal “would” works to express probability or presumption in both present and past, as in “That overambitious politician (
would win,
would have won) hands down if not for the very serious corruption allegations against him.”
Also, the modal “would” conveys politeness and deference in expressing intent or desire, as in “
Would you consider my daughter for that overseas job?” This differs from the rather pointed request conveyed when the modal “will” is used: “
Will you consider my daughter for that overseas job?”
As a quick exercise, are “will” and “would” used correctly in this statement: “
Will it rain tomorrow? If it wouldn’t,
would it be a sunny day?”
Yes, they are correct. The first question uses “will” as a verbal auxiliary to express simple futurity; the second is a conditional construction where (a) the “if”-clause uses the modal “wouldn’t” to express negative possibility, and (b) where the result clause also uses the modal “would” to express expectation of a desired outcome in question form.
“Shall” and “should.” In American English (the English used in the Philippines), the modals “shall” and “should” are used sparingly to state polite questions (suggestive that permission is being asked) in the first-person, as in “
Should I get a taxi for you now, ma’am?” More commonly, the modal “shall” is used in formal written directives and records of corporate proceedings, as in “All workers
shall be responsible for the upkeep of their respective work areas.”
(Next:
Precisely when to use “request” or “request for”) October 31, 2019
This essay, 1,166th of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the October 24, 2019 print edition of The Manila Times
, © 2019 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.RELATED READING ON “MAY/MIGHT” AND OTHER MODALS:“A fascinating question on the usage of modals”
