Use of would and will in a sentence for each word phrase

Verb conjugation is difficult, even on a basic level. The rules that govern regular verb conjugation are predictable and simple. However, many verbs are irregular, and both regular and irregular verbs have many obscure tenses that can be difficult to remember.

Will is one such verb. Conjugated in some tenses, it forms would, but would also has other uses. Continue reading for an overview of these two confusing verbs.

What is the Difference Between Will and Would?

In this post, I will compare will vs. would. I will use each of these verbs in example sentences, so that you can see it in its proper context.

Plus, I will show you how to use a memory tool that will help you choose will or would for your own writing.

When to Use Will

What does will mean? Will can be a noun, in which case it has various meanings. In this article, though, I will be concerned with will as a verb.

Will is a modal auxiliary verb, where it describes an action that is expected to take place in the future. It modifies many verbs in their future tenses.

Here are some examples,

• You will arrive at the airport at 10:15am Thursday morning and escort the ambassador back to the royal palace.
• Catalina will turn us in at the earliest opportunity.
• I will sell my car when I can afford to buy a newer one.
• Apple Inc. said Wednesday it will open its new campus in April and spend six months moving employees into a glass-encased building reminiscent of a spaceship. –The Wall Street Journal

When to Use Would

What does would mean? Would is another verb with multiple senses. Sometimes, it is the past tense of will but only under certain conditions.

Would describes something that was in the future at the time of the original action, but is no longer in the future now.

Here is an example,

• “Jess said she would pick up the pizza,” said Erik.

In this example, Jess made a statement in the past about her intention to pick up a pizza in the near future. However, Erik is now referring to the event from a point even further in the future.

Here is another example,

• Nissan said its new chief executive would be Hiroto Saikawa, a 40-year company veteran who had served as Nissan’s “chief competitive officer” and had led its operations in North America. –The New York Times

Would is also a conditional verb. It indicates an action that would happen if certain circumstances were met.

Here is an example,

• I would buy a dishwasher if you ever cooked us anything.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Here is a helpful trick to remember would vs. will.

Since both will and would have so many different senses, it can be difficult to remember when to choose which one. One easy rule of thumb is that will is never past tense. It can be present tense and several different future moods and tenses, but never past tense.

You can easily remember that will is never past tense since the words will and past don’t use any of the same letters.

Summary

It is will or would? Will and would are verbs, and each can be used many different ways.

• Will can be a present tense verb that means to cause something to happen through force of desire. It can also be a modal auxiliary verb in various tenses.
• Would is a past tense form of will. It is also a conditional verb that indicates an action that would happen under certain conditions.

You can remember that will is never past tense since it shares no letters with past.

In summary,

• Would is sometimes past tense.
• Will is never past tense.

If you are ever stuck choosing would or will again, you can use this article as a refresher.

The modal auxiliary verb ‘would’ is one of the most versatile modal auxiliary verbs in English, if not the most. It is used in different situations for different purposes. Today, we will dive in deep and master all the different uses of would in English.

Would is a modal auxiliary verb; that means, it supports or helps the main verb in a sentence. The interesting thing about would is that it can be used to refer to all the tenses: present, past, and future. 

Different use of would

1. Past habits (repetitive actions in the past)

One of the most interesting uses of would is to talk about past habits or repetitive actions in the past. Read the following story carefully to master this use of would:

Isn’t it a tragic story? ;(

Yes, it is. But it is a great story to learn the use of would when to talk about repetitive actions in the past. All these things would happen repetitively in the past, and that’s why we are using would in these sentences. We can replace would in these sentences with ‘used to.’ It does the same job.

Let me show you more examples of would to talk about the repetitive actions in the past!

• When I was living in Mumbai, I would go to Juhu beach every evening and eat bhelpuri on the top of a rock.
• In my childhood, my father would take us to movies every weekend.
• It was amazing to be with Jerry. She would wake me up every morning, cook breakfast for me, feed me from her own hands.
• My sister would cry before going to school.

NOTE: we can replace would with used to in these sentences.

• When I was living in Mumbai, I used to go to Juhu beach every evening and eat bhelpuri on the top of a rock.
• In my childhood, my father used to take us to movies every weekend.
• It was amazing to be with Jerry. She used to wake me up every morning, cook breakfast for me, feed me from her own hands.
• My sister used to cry before going to school.

---

2. WOULD as the past form of will in indirect speech

Direct speech: Rahul said to me, “I will help you.”
Indirect speech: Rahul told me that he would help me.

Direct speech: He said, “You will be my best friend.”
Indirect speech: He said that I would be his best friend.

Direct speech: I said to my friends, “I will throw a party soon.”
Indirect speech: I told my friends that I would throw a party soon.

NOTE: Would is used as the past tense of will in indirect speech.

---

3. To make polite offers and invitations

Would is usually used to make polite offers and invitations.

• Would you like to be a part of our startup?
• Would you like to join us tonight for the party?
• Would you like me to book a cab for you?
• Would any of your friends be interested to watch the movie with us?

Note: we make polite offers and invitations use the structure ” subject + would + like to” or ” subject + would + like + noun/pronoun + to.”

---

4. Polite Requests

We often use would to make polite requests. We also use can or could to make requests too.

• Would you please shift a bit?
• Would you drop my son to his school?
• Would you lend me your phone for a minute, please?
• Would you share your current location, please?

Adding ‘please‘ to the request makes the request even more polite.

NOTE: Use “Would you mind + gerund ……. ? “ to make a request. It’s very common in spoken English.

• Would you mind sharing the pizza with me?
• Would you mind taking a photo of my kids?
• Would you mind carrying my bags for a moment?
• Would you mind helping me understand this text?
• Would you mind sharing some workout tips? We really need some.

---

5. Polite questions

Use would while asking polite questions.

• Would you like some cheese in your pasta?
• Would you like to try the cake I just have baked?
• Would you know the name of your math teacher?
• Would your husband mind if I dance with you?

• Do you want some cheese in your pasta?
• Do you want to try the cake I just have baked?
• Do you know the name of your math teacher?
• Does your husband mind if I dance with you?

---

6. To make wishes/desires

Use would to show you desires or wishes.

• I would like to open a school for underprivileged students.
• She would like you to sing for her.
• We would like to do something for the poor.
• My mother would like to see my kids before she dies.
• I would like some beer if that’s possible.

---

7. To show certainty or possibility

The modal will is used to talk about what people are willing to do in the present or in the future. Would is the past tense of will and is used to talk about what people were willing to do in the past.

• We will die for you.
• The students will do whatever you say.
• I will not put my job on the line for you.
• The baby will not sleep without getting the milk.

Use would in the past to talk about the willingness of a person or people!

• They would die for me if they had to.
• The students would do whatever I said.
• He would not put his job on the line for me.
• The baby would not sleep without getting the milk.

---

8. To give opinions

• Going there without knowing them would not be the right thing to do.
• Proposing her on her birthday would be the best.
• That job would be good to join.

---

9. Unreal or hypothetical situation (conditional sentences)

Would is used in conditional sentences to talk about unreal or hypothetical things.

Use of would in type 2 conditional sentences

• If I were your father, I would take away all the fancy gadgets from you.
• If she knew how to speak English, she would get many jobs.
• If I were a bird, I would shit on you every day.
• If he had more money, he wouldn’t do this terrible job.

In type 2 conditional sentences, we talk about an unreal or impossible situation and its result in the present or in the near future. We use the subjunctive ‘were’ to show the hypothetical condition.

Use would to give pieces of advises (2nd conditional)

• If I were you, I wouldn’t waste my talent like this.
  (Don’t waste your talent like this)

• We would say ‘yes’ to his offer if we were you.
  (You should say ‘yes’ to his offer)

• I would never leave this girl if I were you.
  (You should never leave this girl)

• If I were you, I wouldn’t talk to my father with such a derogatory tone.
  (You should not talk to your father with such a derogatory tone)

• If I were you, I would consult a doctor right away.
  (You should consult a doctor right away)

Use of would in type 3 conditional sentences

• We would have won the match if they had not cheated.
• If the company had treated me well, I wouldn’t have left the job.
• If she had not lied to me, I would not have broken up with her.
• If you had come in my life earlier, I would have been a successful guy.
• Jon would have been alive if you had taken him to the hospital in time.

We use type 3 conditional sentences to about an unreal situation in the past, and its probable result in the past.

Examples of would in Mixed conditional sentences:

• If I did not have an exam tomorrow, I would be coming with you guys.
  (I have an exam tomorrow, and I will not be coming with you.)

• Max would be really upset with us if we were not coming to his party.
  (We are coming to his party, and he is not upset with us.)

• If I had listened to your advice that day, I would be dead today.
  (I am not dead as I did listen to your advice that day.)

• If she had not cheated me, we would be getting married next week.
  (We are not getting married next week because she cheated me.)

• If you had found Ashish, your lives would be so boring.
  (Your lives aren’t boring as Ashish is with you.) 😉

Hope the usages of would is clear. Feel free to ask your questions and share the post with others! See you in the other class!

Related YouTube videos:

Conditional sentences Type 1 2 3:

Mixed conditional sentences

Use of Can and Could

Are you confused about the difference between will and would in English?

It makes sense if you are because will and would are both modal verbs. This means that we use them with other verbs to talk about things such as possibility, obligation, suggestion, or asking for permission.Advertisements

Many English learners get will and would confused because they’re used in very similar situations. But they’re not the same.

The main difference between will and would is that will is used for real possibilities while would is used for imagined situations in the future.

Of course, this is a simple explanation. To fully understand how to use will and would, we’ll need to cover the following points in more detail:Advertisements

• How to use will

• How to use would

• The difference between will and would in conditionals

• The difference between will and would when making requests

• The difference between will and would when offering something

• The difference between will and would when giving advice

• How to use will and would in reported speech

If you’re ready to finally learn how to use will and would, let’s get started!

Will and Would differences and tips

How to use “will”

First, let’s take a look at a few ways that we use the modal verb will in English.

Using “will” to give information about the future

We commonly use will to give or ask for information about the future. Remember that we can shorten “I will” or “We will” to create the contraction “I’ll” or “We’ll”:

• We’ll head home after work.

• What time will they get here?

• The conference will be held in Meeting Room A.

We also use will to talk about what we think, or guess will happen:

• Don’t lend him your car. He’ll crash it.

• Who do you think will win tomorrow?

Using “will” when we’re willing to doing something

We often use will to talk about things that we are ready to do or that we’re open to doing without any issues or objections:

• I’ll eat whatever they’re serving. I’m not picky at all.

• Sure, I’ll have a cup of coffee. Thanks!

• I know she’ll go to Paris with me.

• Mr. Johnson? Dr. Ramirez will see you now.Advertisements

Using “will” for rules or orders

You’ll often hear will used to talk about general rules. You’ll see will on signs, in codes of conduct or company policies and procedures:

• Smokers will be asked to smoke outside.

• Students will remain on campus during school hours.

And sometimes you’ll hear people use will to give orders or commands, although we consider this extremely direct and even aggressive:

• You will pick up your room!

• You will not speak to me that way!

How to use “would”

Before we talk about the main differences between will and would, let’s talk about some common uses for would in English:

Using “would” for expectations in the past

We can use would to talk about things that we were expecting to happen in the past:

• The sky was getting cloudy, which meant it would rain.

• She wanted to call him, but she knew he wouldn’t answer.

• It was 3:00 pm. He would be home soon.

Using “would” to talk about past habits

We can also use would to mean “used to.” So, we can use it to talk about things that we used to do routinely:

• When we lived in the mountains, we would go hiking all the time.

• When I was a kid, my dad would read me stories every night.

But be careful: When we use would in this context, we have to make it clear that we’re talking about the past. For instance, notice how we use used to and not would in the following examples:

• We used to smoke.

• I used to go jogging more.

Because would has a few different uses, it’s confusing to say:

• We would smoke.

• I would go jogging more.

If we don’t clarify that we’re talking about the past, it can sound like we’re talking about something we might do in the present if we had the opportunity. For clarity, it’s better to use would in this way:

• Before we quit, we would smoke all the time.

• I would go jogging more when I lived near the park.

Using “would” to talk about the future in the past

What? How can you use the future in the past?

In simple terms, when we’re speaking in the past, will becomes would. For example, imagine you’re a kid again, and you say:

• Everyone tells me I will do amazing things one day.

As an adult, you can say:

• When I was a kid, everyone told me that I would do amazing things one day.

Here’s another example. Imagine you just broke up with someone, and you say,

• I will never love again.

But, after time passes, and you recover from the heartbreak, you can say:

• After we broke up, I thought I would never love again.Advertisements

Using “would” for patterns of behavior in the present

We can use would in the present to show that we expected the behavior or action from the person.

When we use would in this way, we’re communicating that we don’t like certain repetitive behaviors or actions. But we can also use it sarcastically or when we’re joking with someone.

We often combine it with a tag question to get a response from the person we’re speaking to. This use of would typically follows this structure:

• You would say that, wouldn’t you?

  (In this situation, the person might have said something silly or strange, and you were expecting it because they often say silly or strange things.)

• He would walk here instead of taking the bus, wouldn’t he? He’s so silly.

  (Here, it didn’t make sense to you that the person chose to walk instead of taking the bus. However, this person often makes silly choices, and for that reason you were not surprised.)

• You just spoiled the ending of the book! You would do that, wouldn’t you?

  (In this context, the person you’re talking to often shares with you the ending of a book that you haven’t read. So your comment communicates that you were expecting that from them.)

Remember, we use would this way when we’re frustrated with someone’s behavior or as a joke.

The difference between “will” and “would” in conditionals

Conditionals tend to give English learners trouble, often because of modal verbs and mixed tenses.

And will and would are no exception.

In general, we use conditionals to talk about possibilities and results.

To determine whether you should use will or would, ask yourself this question: Is it an imagined situation, or is it a real possibility in the future?

When we use will with conditional sentences, it’s usually to talk about real possibilities in the future. In this structure, the verb after if needs to be in the present tense:

• We will stop by the coffee shop if we have time.

• I will be surprised if he shows up at all.

• If I win the money, I’ll give it to charity.

But we use would to talk about imagined situations, or things that don’t have the possibility of happening.

When we use conditionals with would, we use the past tense after if.

So, notice the difference between these sentences:

• If we break up, I will be devastated.

  (Here, breaking up is a possibility.)

• She will be mad if we don’t show up on time.

  (In this example, being late is a possibility.)

• If we broke up, I would be devastated.

  (Here, using would and the past tense means that breaking up is not a possibility.)

• She would be mad if we didn’t show up on time.

  (Again, the use of would and the past tense here means that the situation is hypothetical.)

So, to summarize, in the first two sentences, the speaker is talking about things that might happen soon. But in the last two examples, the speaker imagines something that’s only hypothetical.

So, that’s why we usually use would and not will when we give advice to someone or share our perspective:

• If I were you, I would cancel the meeting.

  If I were you, I will cancel the meeting.

• If you lived here, you would have to walk to work.

  If you lived here, you will have to walk to work.

The difference between “will” and “would” when making requests

We can use will or would to make requests with no change in meaning. But it can change the politeness of your request.

For example, if you say to your friend:

Would you hand me a soda?

It sounds much more polite than:

Will you hand me a soda?

So, generally, it’s better to use would when you’re asking people for favors. But if you do use will, you can always add the word “please” to make sure it sounds more polite.

There are some structures that we use to make requests that we can only use with would. For example:

Would you mind…?

• Would you mind getting some wine on your way home?

  Will you mind getting some wine on your way home?

Would + like

• I would like the roast chicken, please.

  I will like the roast chicken, please.

Would + rather

• He would rather not eat out tonight.

  He will rather not eat out tonight.

The difference between “will” and “would” when making offers

We can also use would or will to offer people things with no change in meaning or politeness.

I mean, it’s always polite to offer someone something!

But there are certain structures that we can only use with will and some we can only use with would.

Will you have…?

• Will you have some more coffee?

  Would you have some more coffee?

Would you like…?

• Would you like another cocktail?

  Will you like another cocktail?Advertisements

How to use “will” and “would” in reported speech

We use the term reported speech to talk about what someone said without putting it in quotation marks.

It’s different from direct speech, which is when we use quotation marks to show that someone is speaking.

Here’s an example of direct speech. Here, you’ll notice that I’m using will:

• “I will take care of it,” said Mark.

Here’s an example of reported speech, and in this situation, I have to use would:

• Mark said he would take care of it.

So, if we use will in a statement that’s directly spoken, that means we have to use would in a statement that we report:

• Direct: “Ana will meet us at the bar,” said Margaret.

  Reported: Margaret said Ana would meet us at the bar.

• Direct: He said, “I will never eat meat again!”

  Reported: He said he would never eat meat again.

• Direct: “You will love it here,” she said to me.

• Reported: She told me I would love it here.

There’s one exception to this rule, though:

When we’re talking about an event that’s happening in the future, we can sometimes use will in reported speech. You’ll see this mostly after the present perfect tense:

• Grandma and Grandpa have said they will visit for New Year’s Eve.

• My neighbor has said that she will stop by the party.

Do I really need to learn the difference between “will” and “would”?

Like I said earlier, it’s pretty easy to confuse will and would because we use them in similar situations, and, frankly, they sound very similar!

Most of the time, mixing up these two modal verbs will not affect your ability to communicate. English speakers will still understand what you mean if you say: “I will like a soda, please” instead of “I would like a soda, please.” Advertisements

Just make sure to avoid making mistakes that could confuse people and affect your communication. Here are some errors to avoid:

1. Don’t use would to talk about your definite plans in the future

2. Don’t use will to talk about habits in the past.

3. When you’re using will and would in conditional structures, just make sure that you’re using will for real possibilities and would for imagined situations.

And don’t worry if you make mistakes! Just remember that the more you practice using them, the easier it will be to use them correctly.

About the Writer

Marta is an online ESL teacher who works with students from around the world. As a writer, language nerd, and content contributor for In English With Love, her mission is to empower English learners with knowledge and positivity.

More English Grammar Tips

Many non-native English learners find it confusing when it comes to the uses of “would”. The word “would” has miscellaneous uses, so confusion is not unlikely. This post aims to clear the confusion. Most of the times, the source of the confusion is the perception that “would” is always used as the past form of the auxiliary verb “will”. Yes, “would” is the past form of “will”, but it has various other uses too, which have nothing to do with the fact that would is the past form of “will”. So, I want to put emphasis on this point and want you to remember it, as it will help to clear the confusions.

To understand the uses of “would”, first of all, we have to have a clear conception of different situations. Situations are the key here, as it’s going to determine whether to use “will” or “would”. The word “will” is mainly used to express plans and things that we are certain about. Now, let’s get familiar with the situations when “would” should be used instead of “will”, one by one. The most common situations when we use “would” are:

1.     To describe an imaginary situation

In practical life, we talk about situations which are imagined, and in English, the word “would” is used to describe that. But confusions come with that, as “imaginary situation” gives a vibe of the future tense. To be able to recognize which is an imaginary situation and which one indicates the future situation is important. Here is an example:

She would look better with longer hair. In this example, we have imagined her with longer hair, but in reality, she has shorter hair. So, this is an imaginary situation, and we shouldn’t use “will” in this case, as the auxiliary verb “will” is used as a part of the verb to describe future situations. To give another example, she would be glad if you send this box of chocolate to her. In this one, you are not going to send her a box of chocolate, you just have imagined that, so “would” should be used.

2.     To form conditional sentences

Generally, in English, there are three types of conditional sentences. In first conditional, we use “will”, but in the second and third conditional sentences we use “would”. Below are two examples of conditional sentences:

2^nd conditional: if I had a magic wand, I would change some historical events.

3^rd conditional: I would never have met with her if I hadn’t gone to that party.

Also, notice that both of the sentences talk about imaginary situations.

3.     To express modest request and proposal

When we are in a  formal situation, using “would” to form request and proposal is expected. Although, you could use “will” to form request and proposal in an informal setting. To illustrate, will you come in? This is for the informal situation. In a formal situation we should say: would you please come in?  Here is a proposal: Would you like to have a cup of coffee?

4.     In reported speech

In this situation use of “would” is related to the past form of “will”. Suppose, your friend told you, “I will be here at 8 o’clock.” Now, if you want to tell that to me you should say this: she told that she would be here at 8 o’clock. This is an example of reported speech and use “would” in the places of “will”.

5.     To express likings, hearted and preferences for something

Usually, words, such as love, hate, prefer, like and glad are used along with “would” to describe these types of situations. A couple of examples are: I would be glad to help, I would hate to work out in the morning, I would love to travel to Europe. 

6.     To give an opinion on uncertain things

When we are not sure about someone’s age, we generally estimate the age. To express uncertainty, we should use “would”. For example, “I would say he is about forty”. By the way words such as, imagine, say and think go along with “would” to express these types of situations. If we are not sure about the distance between two places we should say: I think it would take forty minutes.

7.     To describe past habits

In this case, it is somewhat similar with the use of “used to”, though, there is a slight difference. Look at this example: “When I was young, I would play chase with my father”. If we want to use “would” to describe past habits we should use an action verb like “play”. We shouldn’t use state verbs with “would” to describe past habits. For this reason, I can’t say: when I was young, I would live in an old house, as the verb “live” is a state verb. Instead, we should say: when I was young, I used to live in an old house.

8.      After the word wish

Sometimes we want incidents to occur the way we like them to occur. In those situations, “would” is used after the word wish. Here are two examples: I wish she would leave me, I wish you would be quiet for a minute.

9.     To express refusal to do something

Rechel wouldn’t go to the doctor, even though she was in pain. In the sentence, Rechel’s refusal is expressed.  This types of expressions are also used to describe the condition of machines. For instance, my car would not start today.

9.     To express a result of some action

This is another situation when “would” is used. In this case, results and intentions are expressed with “so that or in order that”. An illustration of these types of situation is: she burned the letters so that her husband would never read them.

The situations discussed above cover almost all the uses of “would”. Creating examples which are similar to the given situations would be a great way to get better at using “would” in speaking and writing.

1) in
interrogative sentences where they express willingness,

consent,

e.g.
Will
you
dine
with
me tomorrow, Lewis?

«Won’t
you
sit
down?»
said the doctor.

You’ll
forgive me,
won’t
you?

«Would
you do
it?»
she asked eagerly.

2) in
clauses of condition introduced by if
(see
also «Verbs».
§
149) where they also express willingness, consent,

e.g. «It’s about forty
minutes’ walk from here and if you’ll come

now
I’ll go with you,» she said.
No,
we are not going to quarrel at all if you’ll only let
me

talk.
If
you would
stand by
me I should have another try.

In
both cases will
(would)
is
followed by the simple infinitive
and
the action always refers to the future.

Both
interrogative and conditional sentences are often actually
polite
requests in this case. There is hardly any difference be-
tween
the use of will
and
would
here;
the role of would
is
to make
the
request still more polite.

§ 116. The use of will and would is not parallel in the follow- ing cases:

1) Will
may
be used to express supposition
with
reference to
the
present or to the future in combination with the simple infini-
tive,
or to the past in combination with the Perfect infinitive.
This
meaning
is found with the second and third persons.

e.g.
This will
be the
school, I believe. (Это,
по-видимому, и есть

школа.)

You
will
have heard the
news, I’m
sure. (Я
полагаю, что вы
уже
слышали новость.)

It
should be noted that the use of will
in
this
meaning is not
common.

2) Would
may
be used rather sarcastically to express that
something
was to be expected. It
is found in affirmative and neg-
ative
sentences.

e.g.
«Auntie Meg has been very brave.» «Yes. She would
be brave.»

(That
was to be expected of her under the circumstances.)
«I
don’t understand him and I don’t approve of his decision.»
«No,
you
wouldn’t.»
(/
did
not expect you would.)

This
meaning can be rendered in Russian as Этого
и
следовало
ожидать.

3) Note
the use of will
in
the following sentences:

e.g.
Boys will
be boys.
(Мальчишки
остаются мальчишками.)
Accidents
will
happen.
(Без
несчастных
случаев
дело
не
об-
ходится.)

4) Note
the set phrases with will
and
would:

a)
Will
not have (won’t have) followed
by an object and an in-
finitive
without to
means
‘I’ll see to it that it does not happen.’

e-g.
«I will
not (won’t)
have
you
speak
to
me like that, her voice
came sharply. (Я
не
допущу,
чтобы…)

b)
Both
would
rather (‘d
rather)
and
would
sooner (‘d sooner)
followed
by an infinitive without to
mean
‘to prefer’.

e.g.
«I’d
rather do it
myself,» said Luke.

He’d
sooner die than
let me think he was a failure.

e)
Would…
mind in
interrogative and negative sentences means
‘to
object’.

e.g.
Would
you
mind
my
staying here for a while?
I wouldn’t
mind your
telling them about Hardy.

Would…mind
in
interrogative sentences may also express a
polite
request.

e.g.
Would
you
mind
getting
me a cup of tea?

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Hello Enquiring Mind

Thank you very much for your explanation and the link and it was very helpful to a greater extent. The reason why I’m replying late is that it took me some time to read it however after reading it I have a few things which I would some clarification.

1.According to the link both will & would are used to talk about habits & behaviour that are characteristic of somebody. The present tense and the used to are also used to talk about habits & behaviour those are characteristic of somebody. If I say the following sentences

Nuwan will boast about his college. Or Nuwan boasts about his college.
Nuwan would boast about his college. Or Nuwan boasted about his college. Nuwan used to boast about his college.

I would like to know if the difference between will and the simple present tense and would and the simple past tense does have to with the emphasis. (if we use stressed form of both will & would.) or is there anything else that I should know apart from the use of simple past for single actions.

2. I was under the impression that both will & would were used in the same tense as in my original sentences but I now understand would is used as the past tense of will in those sentences. I would like to mention the meaning of these sentences to me. If what I have thought is wrong please correct me.

Would

«Madeleine called to say she’s too busy to come.» «She would — she always has an excuse.» (She would = she didn’t come because it was her nature.)

He would say that! He’s always got a reason for being late. (He would say that = He said so because it was his nature.)

You would go and spoil it, wouldn’t you? = You went and spoilt it, didn’t you because it was your nature.

She insists she did nothing wrong, but then she would say that wouldn’t she? (She would say that wouldn’t she? = She said so didn’t she because it was her nature)

So if I convert the sentences above into will sentences their meanings are related to the present. Am I right?

«Madeleine calls to say she’s too busy to come.» «She will — she always has an excuse.»

He will say that! He’s always got a reason for being late.

You will go and spoil it, won’t you?

She insists she does nothing wrong, but then she will say that won’t she?

3.I’m wondering if I want to talk about a typical behavoiur or habit which I expect that somebody will have in the future, which tense should I use. Here I thought of a context but I don’t know if it is right.

My friend Nuwan always boasts that he is going to Switzerland on his honeymoon next month. So one of my friends comes and gives this news to me and it is as below

My friend: Have you heard Nuwan is going on his honeymoon to Switzerland?

Me: It’s great news. When is he getting married?

My friend: I don’t know but once he is here he will keep talking about how much he spent on the trip.

In this context I believe the sentence has both futuristic and annoying sense. I would like to know how it sounds to you.

The word «would» has a few meanings and cases of use in English. Grammatically, «would» is the past form of «will». We do not put «to» before the main verb after «would» and the main verb stays in its infinitive form.

We often shorten «would» to ‘d (I’d, you’d, we’d etc.). Do not confuse the shortened versions of «would» and «had». 

1. I would help you, but… — conditionals

«Would» is used in conditional sentences.

When we imagine or think of something which is not real, we use would + infinitive.

When we express regrets about something in the past, we wanted things to go otherwise, but we can’t change that anymore, we use would + have + past participle.

2. She said she would come — reported speech

We use «would» as the past of «will» when we need to harmonize tenses in two parts of the sentence, for example, in the reported speech.

3. He wouldn’t listen — refuse

We use «won’t» and its past form «wouldn’t» in the meaning of «not want», «refuse», «be unwilling» to do something.

4. Would, used to — habits in the past

We use «would» as an analogue of «used to» when we speak about regular actions and habits in the past.

Pay attention!

In the examples above, we can either say «would» or «used to». But we can only say «used to» when we talk about states in the past and not physical actions.

5. Would you please, I would like, would you mind — polite request and set phrases

We use «would» to make a polite request. It is also possible to use «could» (could you please…?) in the same manner.

«Would» is a part of some polite set phrases, like:

• I would like, would you like
• I would rather (do something)
• Would you mind (doing something)