Using could and would in a sentence for each word

Basis for Comparison	Could	Would
Examples	Maybe she could meet Piya when she go to Amsterdam.	I would meet you, but I was little busy.

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29 oct. 2019

Also What are conditional and define it with examples?

The definition of a conditional is a grammar term that means a sentence structure that expresses a particular situation or circumstance and its consequences. An example of a conditional is a sentence telling someone that you will be mad at them if they are late.

Subsequently, Where we use could and would? Could is used to say that an action or event is possible. Would is used to talk about a possible or imagined situation, and is often used when that possible situation is not going to happen.

What is the difference between could and would? Could expresses possibility, while would expresses certainty and intent. A good way to remember the differences between these two words is simply to bring each word back to its root verb. Could is the past tense of can. Would is the past tense of will.

Could in a sentence example?

Could sentence example. I had let so much gas out of my balloon that I could not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. The doctor thought I could not live. I could not help it.

What do you mean by conditional mean?

1 : subject to, implying, or dependent upon a condition a conditional promise. 2 : expressing, containing, or implying a supposition the conditional clause if he speaks. 3a : true only for certain values of the variables or symbols involved conditional equations.

What are the two types of conditional and explain each?

5 Types of Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentence type	When to use
Type 1	A possible situation and the result
Type 2	A hypothetical condition and its possible result
Type 3	An impossible past situation and its result in the past
Mixed Conditionals	An impossible past situation and its result in the present

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26 août 2021

What are conditionals in English grammar?

What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them ‘if clauses’. They describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have happened but didn’t (in the past) . They are made using different English verb tenses.

Would and could in a sentence?

“Would” to Show Certainty

While “could” shows ability or possibility, “would” shows certainty in a past or hypothetical situation. If you think about “would” being the past tense of “will,” then it completely makes sense. For example: When I was younger, I would ride my bike home in 10 minutes.

Where we use would?

We use would as the past of will, to describe past beliefs about the future: I thought we would be late, so we would have to take the train.

Could or would you please?

But I would suppose that “would” is more polite, because it expresses the idea of probability, and of willingness, and of the desire that something be done, whereas “could” is more in the realm of ability (yes I can). And according to the American Heritage Dictionary, “would” is used to make a polite request.

Could you please vs Would you please?

But I would suppose that “would” is more polite, because it expresses the idea of probability, and of willingness, and of the desire that something be done, whereas “could” is more in the realm of ability (yes I can). And according to the American Heritage Dictionary, “would” is used to make a polite request.

When we can use would?

‘will’ and ‘would’

1. We use will:
2. would is the past tense form of will. …
3. We use will to express beliefs about the present or future:
4. We use would as the past of will, to describe past beliefs about the future:
5. We use would as the past tense of will:
6. We use I will or We will to make promises and offers:

Could VS would in questions?

When making general polite suggestions or asking a question, both could and can are possible (“Excuse me, can/could you tell me what time it is?”). … Would can also be used to ask polite questions (“Would you mind if I had another cup of tea?”), or to wish for something (“I wish she would write a book.”).

When to use the word could in a sentence?

In the sentence “We could have as many as ten people come to dinner tonight,” could is used to say that it is possible that ten people will come to the speaker’s home for dinner (“I think that it is possible we will have as many as ten people for dinner tonight.”).

Could or can in a sentence?

The modal verbs can and could represent the ability of a person or thing in doing something. However, there is a difference in their usage, as ‘can‘ is used in present situation, whereas we can use ‘could’ for talking about a past ability. Both are followed by a base form of the verb.

When Could is used?

“Could” is a modal verb used to express possibility or past ability as well as to make suggestions and requests. “Could” is also commonly used in conditional sentences as the conditional form of “can.” Examples: Extreme rain could cause the river to flood the city.

What means conditional statement?

Definition. A conditional statement is a statement that can be written in the form “If P then Q,” where P and Q are sentences. For this conditional statement, P is called the hypothesis and Q is called the conclusion. Intuitively, “If P then Q” means that Q must be true whenever P is true.

What is conditional mean and variance?

In probability theory and statistics, a conditional variance is the variance of a random variable given the value(s) of one or more other variables. Particularly in econometrics, the conditional variance is also known as the scedastic function or skedastic function.

What are the two types of conditionals?

Conditional

Conditional sentence type	Usage	If clause verb tense
Zero	General truths	Simple present
Type 1	A possible condition and its probable result	Simple present
Type 2	A hypothetical condition and its probable result	Simple past
Type 3	An unreal past condition and its probable result in the past	Past perfect

What are the two types of conditional clauses?

The 4 Types of Conditionals. Conditional sentences have two clauses: a condition (if…) and a result. The verb tenses used in each clause depends on whether the speaker thinks the result is probable (real) or only exists in the imagination (unreal).

What is a Type 2 conditional?

The type 2 conditional refers to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result. … In type 2 conditional sentences, the time is now or any time and the situation is hypothetical.

What are the 3 types of conditional?

Conditional

Conditional sentence type	Usage	If clause verb tense
Zero	General truths	Simple present
Type 1	A possible condition and its probable result	Simple present
Type 2	A hypothetical condition and its probable result	Simple past
Type 3	An unreal past condition and its probable result in the past	Past perfect

What are the types of conditional statements?

Conditional Statements : if, else, switch

• If statement.
• If-Else statement.
• Nested If-else statement.
• If-Else If ladder.
• Switch statement.

What are conditional statements?

Conditional Statements

Use if to specify a block of code to be executed, if a specified condition is true. Use else to specify a block of code to be executed, if the same condition is false. Use else if to specify a new condition to test, if the first condition is false.

English is full of verbs that seem interchangeable or at least only trivially different, but skilled writers know when and how to use them for maximum clarity.

Could and would are two such verbs. They both have many uses, which makes them confusing for many beginning writers and English language learners.

Although they seem similar, there are definite situations when one word is more appropriate than the other. Verb choice is a crucial part of careful writing, so read on to find out the differences between these two confusing verbs.

What is the Difference Between Could and Would?

In this article, I will compare could vs. would, and I will use both words in several example sentences. This way, you will be able to see them in their proper context.

Additionally, I will show you a memory tool that can help you choose would or could correctly every time.

When to Use Could

What does could mean? Could is a verb with many senses.

Could is the past tense of can, a verb used to denote ability. In this sense, could refers to some ability that someone had in the past.

For example,

• In high school, I could dunk a basketball.
• In my prime, I could bench press 250 pounds.

In both of these examples, could is being used to express an ability that the speaker had in the past.

In other instances, could is a modal verb used to denote possibility. It is also used for some conditional present and future tenses of can.

For example,

• You could have gone to the park with your friends if you had finished your homework on time.
• Over the next three days, temperatures could reach the low 20s in Washington, posing one last crucial test for the buds. –The Washington Post

In both of these examples, could is expressing possibility: things that could have been true or things that could yet come true.

For more on condition sentences, see here.

When to Use Would

What does would mean? Would is also a verb with many senses.

Would is the past tense of will, which denotes both ability and certainty.

• In high school, I would do my homework on the bus.
• While I was working, I would go out to eat more frequently.

In these examples, the speaker is using would to express a past action, which is helpful when comparing would vs. could.

Let’s take the first of these two examples,

• In high school, I could do my homework on the bus.
• In high school, I would do my homework on the bus.

As you can see, could is simply making a statement of ability. When I was in high school, I could do my homework on the bus. I had the ability to do my homework on the bus, but this doesn’t mean that I did. I simply had the ability to do so.

Conversely, would is making a definite claim. Doing my homework on the bus was something that I did do, not just something that I had the ability to do.

Would is also a modal verb used to denote possibility, and it often refers to something that is conditional but definite within those conditions.

Here are some examples,

• If I were to take a vacation, it would be somewhere warm and tropical.
• I would buy a big house if I had a million dollars.
• A mega-luxury deal that would merge Neiman Marcus with the company that owns Saks Fifth Avenue is in the works, sources told The Post. –New York Post

Again, these examples make definite claims. Let’s again look at the first example,

• If I were to take a vacation, it could be somewhere warm and tropical.
• If I were to take a vacation, it would be somewhere warm and tropical.

As you can see, could is making a simple claim of ability. If I were to take a vacation, it could be somewhere tropical, but it also could be somewhere cold—perhaps Colorado to go skiing.

But, when we use would, there is no question where the vacation will be. It will be somewhere tropical.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Could and would are related, but they mean different things. Could expresses possibility, while would expresses certainty and intent.

A good way to remember the differences between these two words is simply to bring each word back to its root verb.

• Could is the past tense of can.
• Would is the past tense of will.

If you are looking to make a statement of ability, think to yourself, “I can do that.”

If you are looking to make a statement of certainty or intent, think to yourself, “I will do that.”

This won’t always get you to the right answer, but it should work most of the time.

Summary

Is it could or would? Both could and would are verbs that have many senses.

• Could is a conditional verb that expresses possibility.
• Would is a conditional verb that expresses certainty, intent, or both.

Could is also the past tense of can. Would is the past tense of will. Both of these words start with the same letter as their root verb, which makes them easy to remember.

Asked by: Dr. Lucas Hermiston Sr.

Score: 4.4/5
(68 votes)

Just remember that could is used to talk about something that can happen, would is used to talk about something that will happen in an imagined situation, and should is used to talk about something that ought to happen or must happen.

What is the difference between could and would?

Could expresses possibility, while would expresses certainty and intent. A good way to remember the differences between these two words is simply to bring each word back to its root verb. Could is the past tense of can. Would is the past tense of will.

When should and would is used?

Use «should» to say that something is the right thing to do; use «would» to talk about a situation that is possible or imagined.

Which is correct would be or will be?

‘Will be’ is used in situations of certainty and possibility. ‘Would be’ is used in most imaginary situations. ‘Will be’ is used to describe actions that are still in practice, whereas ‘would be’ is used to talk about habits that once were regular but are no more in practice.

Would used for future?

We have this in the past tense, simple past tense and then, in that past tense thought, we have some idea about the future and we use Would to express that idea about the future. … So meaning, in the past, in the far past, I knew that this would happen. Um. So we can use Would to talk about future but in the past.

33 related questions found

This is a question that pops up a lot in English learning.
What is the deal with Would vs Could and also Should vs Might?.

When should you use which one? Which is more polite? What would a native speaker say?

Don’t worry!

The following is your one-stop guide to the proper usage for each word. You can refer back to any of this during your independent study or you can ask a question in the comments and I’ll do my best to clear things up.

Probability vs Possibility

Before explaining the terms, we need to look at what these words are trying to explain.

Would vs Could = PROBABILITY

Should vs Might = POSSIBILITY

The best way to understand the difference is with the following sentences:

• I will probably see you later. (more definite)

• I will possibly see you later. (less definite – more doubt as it is also possible that I will not see you later)

Try to say them to yourself a few times before reading more so that you hear the difference. Got it? Great!

Would vs Could

The most important thing to realise here is that these verbs are being used to show probability.

It’s easier when you look at the root verbs of these words:

Would – Will

Could – Can

Would is more affirmative than could, but it requires conditions to be met:

• I would go to the supermarket if Dad hadn’t taken the car.

Whereas with could, the speaker is able to perform the task but has an excuse as to why they won’t:

• I could go to the supermarket, but I don’t feel like it right now.

Would and could can also be used for purposes of being polite when used in questions.

Would to a native speaker, sounds a little more direct than could.

Applying the root verbs above, if you ask someone to do something by saying:

• Would you _____ ?

You are implying that they are definitely able to do it and therefore should have done it already.

Could sounds a little more polite because you are saying:

• Are you able to do _____

This implies that you don’t expect them to do it but it would be great if they can.

Take a look at these two contrasting examples:

Spoken sentence: Would you close the door, please?

Translation: I know you are able to close the door, do it.

Versus:

Spoken Sentence: Could you close the door, please?

Translation: If it is possible and if you want to, can you close the door please?

Realistically, a native speaker would not and should not get angry with you for using would rather than could, but this is one way to sound a bit more polite and less demanding.

Should vs Might

These two are very similar but are defining possibility which is slightly different from probability.

Let’s use the example of predicting the weather:

Spoken sentence: It should be raining now, but it’s actually sunny!

Translation: Rain was expected, but in fact it’s sunny.

In the example above, there was an 80 percent chance of rain.

Now compare that to the following:

Spoken sentence: It might rain later, but it also might be sunny.

Translation: Both events are possible.

In this instance, there is a 50 percent chance of rain, nobody is sure.

Obligation

Should and might can also be used to explain obligation.

For example:

Spoken sentence: I should go to the bank later.

Translation: I have an appointment and I have some money to deposit.

There is a sense of obligation here. You could also say: I need to go to the bank later.

In comparison to the following example:

Spoken sentence: I might go to the bank later.

Translation: I don’t have to, but it’s possible that I will go to the bank.

Here is another example for practice:

Spoken sentence: I should go to work, but I don’t want to.

Translation: It’s a good idea for me to go to work and I probably will even though I don’t feel like it.

Versus:

Spoken Sentence: I might go to work later.

Translation: I don’t have to go to work, but I could get some extra work done.

Yes, I know, this is a lot of information to digest!

The best way to completely understand the information is to practice by speaking to a native speaker so that it becomes natural. In any case, try saying it out loud and you will start to hear the difference between the examples.

I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any questions below!

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