0

After looking up “would” and “could”, I couldn’t find any relevant meaning in the use of would and could in this text, which I found on a British Council page:

You could go on in the same way. You would use past tense forms to talk about something which happened ten years ago. So tense forms in reports and summaries in English are the same as in the rest of the language.

What if I use can and will? Is it ok?

Improve this question
7
  • What exactly is the problem, in your view?
    – WS2
    Jan 21, 2018 at 15:09
  • I have voted to close this question because it does not give the url of the text in question. Without such a citation, it is impossible to see the text in context and therefore impossible to give any explanation of any actual question about English grammar. I shall change my vote if the question is edited to provide the link.
    – Jeff Morrow
    Jan 21, 2018 at 16:05
  • 1
    @NathanTuggy That still does not justify the OP from giving the relevant link. But thank you for the link. I have retracted my close vote.
    – Jeff Morrow
    Jan 21, 2018 at 21:54
  • 1
    I meant "not giving" in my previous comment.
    – Jeff Morrow
    Jan 21, 2018 at 22:01
  • 1
    Ok. I’m sorry that I didn’t provide the link because I thought it is not a problem. Now I will make my question more specific after seeing the answers.
    – user67265
    Jan 21, 2018 at 23:54

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

The context is that a sentence was introduced with "it might be written as" with the clear implication that the thought could be expressed in other ways. So the "could" just recognizes that the example just given does not prevent use of a different form of expression going forward. The "would" is meant to specify how to proceed if the preceding example is used as a model going forward.

Improve this answer
1
  • @user67265 Adding to this, the reason why the text uses "could" and not "can" (and "would" and not "will") is that it's describing a hypothetical situation with the subjunctive mood. 'Could' is the subjunctive of 'can' and 'would' is the subjunctive of 'will.' The indicative mood forms 'can' and 'will' would be much less common in this context. "You can go on in the same way..." sounds very informal to me (not something that would be in a grammar textbook!) and "You 'will' use past tense forms..." sounds plain wrong (I think that's because it could be confused with the imperative).
    – Quack E. Duck
    Jul 14 at 3:24
0

In this context, "could" and "would" are synonymous.

Improve this answer
1
0

I think "could" and "would" would be the softer tone than "can" and "will"

Improve this answer
1
  • As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Jul 14 at 7:15

You must log in to answer this question.

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