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I have some difficulties with the "would not it" question grammatical form. We use it in French to ask a (fake) questions which actually suggest a clear answer.

how this one sound in English:

Would the real development not be related to the ability to solve our conflicts through dialogue and the desire to understand the others rather than using violence?

(in French: Le véritable "développement" ne serait-il pas plutôt lié à la capacité de régler nos conflits par le dialogue et le désir de compréhension plutôt que par la violence?)

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    This is a rhetorical question. It sounds, please allow me to be blunt, stilted to me, though I think it's fine grammatically. I also think that it could sound perfect in a right context. (You might also want to consider, "Would it not be true that ...?", which amounts to the same thing, but it could prepare the reader to be ready for the heavier thing followed.) Commented Jun 27, 2014 at 11:00
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    He he! I do agree about the "stilted" effect! There is a bunch of sick stuff in french literary rules, for instance using "english simplicity" would sound rude for (most) french. (most) French don't like straightforward communication, I guess English is a more mature langage, we are still traditional. But these "I dont want to say it but I say it" kind of stuff softened the effect. "Would it not be true that ...?" would sound too direct and maybe pretentious, we both agree that it doesn't really change the sense but... So I'll think about that one
    – JinSnow
    Commented Jun 28, 2014 at 14:42

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While the sentence appears technically correct, I suggest avoiding negative questions in everyday use. English has no equivalent of the French si, so some will answer "yes" (it would) and some will answer "yes" (it would not).

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  • I did not think about that, thanks for this explanation!
    – JinSnow
    Commented Jun 28, 2014 at 14:29
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This is a very complicated sentence!

It is fine, there are no grammar mistakes.

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