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Could someone please check if the following sentence makes sense/correct?

As discussed earlier, there is one more video in the pipeline you would expect to receive by the end of September.

It should be a polite version of saying “you want to receive it by September” but it just sounds a bit odd to me...

2 Answers 2

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The way people usually phrase that is "... you can expect to receive by ..."

"Expecting" is something the person does (or not) at his own will. So you don't make the determination that he expects, or will or would expect ... only that he can expect. Likewise with "want": you don't really know if he wants to receive it or not.

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Yes, the example sentence is odd. This use of the word "would" puts the end of the sentence in the subjunctive mood. In other words, it adds an implied "if..." to the end of the sentence. It can easily be interpreted in a way that makes the author look bad:

As discussed earlier, there is one more video in the pipeline you would expect to receive by the end of September [if you thought we were competent].

As discussed earlier, there is one more video in the pipeline you would expect to receive by the end of September [if you were the kind of person who expects things to show up on time].

As discussed earlier, there is one more video in the pipeline you would expect to receive by the end of September [if you relied on us].

As Lorel C. pointed out, "can" is a much better word choice in this sentence than "would". "Can expect" implies a promise by the sender; "want" does not.

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