PrakharGMAT wrote:
Hi
mikemcgarry,
Thanks a lot for your awesome explanation :D nd this time I correctly spelled your name
After posting this query, I read that if we are in present and we are predicting. So to show things in future there will be uncertainty ..therefore to show that uncertainty we use "MAY"
So, when I came across this thing...then I thought the usage of WOULD should be incorrect if we want to show UNCERTAINTY in FUTURE.
But, you are saying that I mentioned the usage of WOULD in 2 scenarios correctly...
I am quiet confused,
=> If we are in PAST and want to show uncertainty in FUTURE, then we use "WOULD"...
BUT=> If we are in PRESENT and want to show uncertainty in FUTURE, then we should use "WOULD" or "MAY"..Or both are correct..??
Can you please share your opinion on this issue.
Also, if both can be used to show uncertainty in future...Can they be used
interchangeably.
If, they (would and may) can't be used interchangeably...can you please provide an example...??
Please assist.
Thanks and Regards,
Prakhar
Dear Prakhar,
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, there are a few verbs that indicate possibility, such as "
would," "
may," "
might", and "
could." Also, if the verb by itself is not sufficient to indicate the desired degree of uncertainty, it is not unusual to employ an adverb or adverbial phrase (e.g. "
possibly").
Past tense, factual
1)
Yesterday, Steve said that he would make the appointment next Friday.
This is a simple factual description. It carries no particular connotation of uncertainty beyond the general uncertainty of the future. If someone were to tell us this, and if Steve were a truthful person, we would believe that next Friday he will make this appointment.
Present tense, factual
2)
Right now, Steve says that he will make the appointment next Friday.
This is the present tense equivalent of #1, a factual statement about the future.
Present tense, hypothetical
3)
Right now, Steve says that he would make the appointment next Friday if he gets paid tomorrow.
This indicates not so much uncertainty but a condition. If I say that I "
would" do X, this implies that I won't do X unless some condition is met. This is different from general uncertainty.
Present tense, uncertain
4)
Right now, Steve says that he may make the appointment next Friday.
This conveys pure uncertainty. We don't know whether Steve will make the appointment, and we don't know what factors might be in play---whether there are extenuating circumstances or Steve simply doesn't feel like making the appointment. We don't know.
Past tense, uncertain
5)
Yesterday, Steve said that he might make the appointment next Friday.
This is the past equivalent of #4. It's uncertain, and we have no idea what factors are in play.
Present tense, possibility
6a)
Right now, Steve says that he can make the appointment next Friday.
6b)
Right now, Steve says that he is able to make the appointment next Friday.
This is a factual statement about Steve's ability. The two sentences have the same meaning.
Present tense, ambiguous
7)
Right now, Steve says that he could make the appointment next Friday.
This is ambiguous. It is as if Steve is saying he has the ability to make the appointment, but that he has no intention of doing so. If someone said this in real life, it would spark a conversation. Is there a condition or a situation under which he would consider making the appointment? This implies that he is able but not willing.
Past tense, possibility
8a)
Yesterday, Steve said that he could make the appointment next Friday.
8b)
Yesterday, Steve said that he was able to make the appointment next Friday.
This is tricky. The second sentence here, #8b, is an unambiguous statement of ability in the past. #8a lends itself to a few different readings: it might be the equivalent of #8b, a factual statement of ability in the past, or it might be the equivalent of #7, the "able but not willing" case. I would tend to use 8a for clarity.
In any of these, we can emphasize either the certainty or uncertainty with adverbs or another construction.
2b)
Right now, Steve says that he definitely will make the appointment next Friday.
5b)
Yesterday, Steve said that there's an off chance that he might make the appointment next Friday.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)