Will and Would for intermediate learners

modals will would

These two modals are often confusing for learners, because they are used in quite similar situations. But they're different.

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What Are Will and Would?

'Will' and 'would' are modal verbs in English that are used to express the future tense, as well as different degrees of certainty, willingness, and politeness.

Will

'Will' is mainly used to:

Predict the future
Express plans and decisions

Predicting the Future

'Will' is followed by an infinitive without to. When using 'will', we are expressing a prediction or expectation about the future, often based on our own thoughts or beliefs. While 'will' does not provide evidence or certainty, it is often used to express confidence in our predictions. Here are some examples:

It will rain tomorrow.

They will get married.

Expressing Plans

'Will' is used to talk about future plans, but when using 'will' in this context, there may not be a specific or exact plan, time, or date for the event or action. Here are the examples:

I will go to Tokyo one day.

She will take the exams in this semester.

using "will" in a sentence

Would

'Would' is used to:

Predict the future but in the past tense

Past Predictions

The rules that govern the use of 'will' apply to 'would' as well, but 'would' conveys a past meaning. Here are some examples:

She would go to China.

He would call me.

How to Use Will and Would

Will and would are both modal verbs, so they are followed by an infinitive without to. Here are a few examples:

They will speak French.

He would drink a cup of tea.

Negative Form

To make 'will' and 'would' negative, you can add 'not' after them. Here are the examples:

I will not take care of it.

They would not escape from the cell.

Contraction

The contracted form of 'will not' is 'won't' and the contracted form of 'would not' is 'wouldn't'. For example:

They won't run away.

He wouldn't speak to her.

Question Form

To make a question with 'will' and 'would', all you have to do is place the modal verb at the beginning of the question.

Will you come to the party?

Would he forgive me?

Review

'Will' and 'would' are modal verbs that are used to:

Future predictions
Past predictions
Future plans

Comments

What Are Will and Would?
- Predicting the Future
- Expressing Plans
- Past Predictions
How to Use Will and Would
- Contraction
Question Form
Review

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