Would You Please... Expressing Wish and Desire
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How to Use the Modal would to Express a Wish or Desire
Today we're going to discuss one way to express wish or desire by using the modal would.
Many times people email me, writing, " I will like to purchase this" when they really should be saying "I would like to purchase this". We are going to talk about the correct use of the modal would in this situation.
WHAT IS A MODAL?
A modal is a helping verb. Using a modal before a verb changes the meaning of that verb in some way.
WHEN DO WE USE THE MODAL will?
Use the modal will when you are:
-
referring to the future and
- you are indicating 100% CERTAINTY.
| Time Reference | Positive | Negative |
| FUTURE: | will | will not, won't |
| Future Positive: | The marriage will work out. | |
| Future Negative: | The marriage will not work out. | |
| (The marriage won't work out.) | ||
| PAST: | would have + past participle form of the verb | would not have + past participle form of the verb |
| Past* Positive: | Their marriage would have worked* out. | |
| Past Negative: | Their marriage
would not have
worked** out. (Their marriage wouldn't have worked out.) |
|
WHEN DO WE USE THE MODAL would?
The modal would is very common, and carries several different meanings. In this example, we use would because it is a polite request, and we use the would with polite requests:
Would you please help me?
APPLYING THIS TO A NEW SITUATION
Now let's say you are ready
to pop the question, that is, you are
going to ask somebody to marry you. Do you say to the
object of your desire, "I will like to
marry you" or do you say, "I
would like to marry you"?
Write your response you think is correct in the box
below.
The winning marriage proposal would
be, "I would like to marry you."
Perhaps you are more romantic and you get down on one knee: do you ask, " Will you marry me?" or do you ask, "Would you marry me?"
Both statements could get you hitched,
depending on how you want to sound. However, we think
"Will you marry me?" sounds more certain on the requester's
part. Remember that will
indicates 100% certainty and
would indicates polite
request. The next time you want to propose
marriage, try them both and let us know which one works
for you!
Thanks for listening to us this week, and please visit
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