0

I would like to know the difference between

If she should win the race, congratulate her.

and

If she wins the race, congratulate her.

I would like to know if there is a difference in the meaning or if one is more formal than the other.

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

Both of them refer to a possible event that could happen in the future. However, there is difference in nuance. The former indicates the speaker thinks the possibility of the event happening is low. However, the latter is neutral.

"If she should win the race" could be rephrased to:

I don't think she is likely to win the race, but if she happens to win the race...

"If it should rain tomorrow" could be rephrased to:

I don't think it will rain tomorrow (based on experience looking at the sky, according to weather forecast, etc.), but if it happens to rain tomorrow.

The former could be more formal than the latter.

Improve this answer
3
  • You say that "should... indicates that the speaker thinks the possibility of the event happening is low": I think that it is neutral. None of the dictionaries I have checked indicate any bias, and the Cambridge dictionary proposes it as a replacement for "if".
    – JavaLatte
    Commented Apr 22, 2016 at 7:45
  • @JavaLatte I have searched for another opinion and found this answer that happens to have the same view.
    – user24743
    Commented Apr 22, 2016 at 8:25
  • @JavaLatte they don't have the same meaning. It's not exactly a replacement. In other cases might be a replacement without any change of meaning, but here there is a slight change in meaning as this answer says.
    – Man_From_India
    Commented Apr 27, 2016 at 0:30
1

The meaning is the same, and the should version is formal. The version without should is considerably more common.

should modal verb (POSSIBILITY) › formal used when referring to a ​possible ​event in the ​future:

If anyone should ​ask for me, I'll be in the manager's ​office.

Should you (= if you) ​ever need anything, ​please don't ​hesitate to ​contact me.

Improve this answer
2
  • Both answers are good I don't know which one to select as answer I think I'll wait for people to vote.
    – Manuel Hernandez
    Commented Apr 22, 2016 at 5:21
  • @ManuelHernandez Java, they don't mean the same thing. There is a subtle difference.
    – Man_From_India
    Commented Apr 27, 2016 at 0:27

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .