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RenB
Joined: 13 Jul 2022
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Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Nonprofit
Schools: Stanford '26 Wharton '26 (D) Kellogg '26 (II) Booth '26 (D) Yale '26 (S) CBS '26 (II) Darden '26 (S) HBS '26 (D) Ross '26 (II) LBS '26 (D) Tuck '26 (II)
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WE:Corporate Finance (Consulting)
Schools: Stanford '26 Wharton '26 (D) Kellogg '26 (II) Booth '26 (D) Yale '26 (S) CBS '26 (II) Darden '26 (S) HBS '26 (D) Ross '26 (II) LBS '26 (D) Tuck '26 (II)
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05 May 2023, 20:18
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Jotting down my notes and observations- referred courses and online explanations.
While both are used to denote 'uncertainty' of some form,
The most striking difference is-
Would is used with in a past tense/reported speech context to refer to a future hypothesis/prediction-
To understand simply, put yourself in the subject's shoes and think-
I am in the past, talking about the future.
E.g. - She said that she would join the gym after her GMAT exam. (This hurt :') )
Or if you can connect better-
Think of yourself as a news reporter and think you are reading the headlines, reporting an event that has happened
E.g.- Analysts expected that the profits of XYZ Ltd would increase after the merger.
Also note, the past verb form could also be because of subjunctive mood:
E.g.- If I weren't so passionate about creating an impact, I wouldn't have left my previous job.
Whereas 'will' is used in a present tense context while referring to a future event-
To understand simply, put yourself in the subject's shoes and think-
I am in the present, talking about the future.
E.g.- She says that she will join the gym after her GMAT exam.
From a meaning standpoint, another distinction is:
Would: More on the lines of Uncertainty- prediction/ assumption/ hypothesis
E.g.: Analysts predicted that the fourth quarter would be challenging for XYZ Ltd.
(Observe the tone- would- More on the lines of uncertainty)
Will: More or almost certain from the context of the sentence-
E.g.: Analysts predict that the fourth quarter will be challenging for XYZ Ltd.
(Observe the tone- will- More on the lines of certainty that it will) be challenging
Or better- E.g.- She says that she will join the gym after her GMAT exam.
Based on my practice- whenever the sentence tests will/would- it is majorly testing the usage of the correct tense as per the context- i
If sentence uses a past form- 'would' to be used and if the present form, 'will' to be used.
I am no expert. Just sharing my two cents.
bb GMATNinja CrackverbalGMAT DmitryFarber Pls have a look and let me know if there are any gaps in my understanding
While both are used to denote 'uncertainty' of some form,
The most striking difference is-
Would is used with in a past tense/reported speech context to refer to a future hypothesis/prediction-
To understand simply, put yourself in the subject's shoes and think-
I am in the past, talking about the future.
E.g. - She said that she would join the gym after her GMAT exam. (This hurt :') )
Or if you can connect better-
Think of yourself as a news reporter and think you are reading the headlines, reporting an event that has happened
E.g.- Analysts expected that the profits of XYZ Ltd would increase after the merger.
Also note, the past verb form could also be because of subjunctive mood:
E.g.- If I weren't so passionate about creating an impact, I wouldn't have left my previous job.
Whereas 'will' is used in a present tense context while referring to a future event-
To understand simply, put yourself in the subject's shoes and think-
I am in the present, talking about the future.
E.g.- She says that she will join the gym after her GMAT exam.
From a meaning standpoint, another distinction is:
Would: More on the lines of Uncertainty- prediction/ assumption/ hypothesis
E.g.: Analysts predicted that the fourth quarter would be challenging for XYZ Ltd.
(Observe the tone- would- More on the lines of uncertainty)
Will: More or almost certain from the context of the sentence-
E.g.: Analysts predict that the fourth quarter will be challenging for XYZ Ltd.
(Observe the tone- will- More on the lines of certainty that it will) be challenging
Or better- E.g.- She says that she will join the gym after her GMAT exam.
Based on my practice- whenever the sentence tests will/would- it is majorly testing the usage of the correct tense as per the context- i
If sentence uses a past form- 'would' to be used and if the present form, 'will' to be used.
I am no expert. Just sharing my two cents.
bb GMATNinja CrackverbalGMAT DmitryFarber Pls have a look and let me know if there are any gaps in my understanding
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06 May 2023, 07:38
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Hi RenB.
You basically understand the uses.
At the same time, it would be clearer to break down the uses of "would" into different types. In other words, while "would" is the same word in all cases, it's used in clearly different ways.
Using your examples:
She said that she would join the gym after her GMAT exam. - use of "would" in expressing a past prediction
If I weren't so passionate about creating an impact, I wouldn't have left my previous job. - In this case, "would" is not really past tense. It's used to express what "would" happen, or in this case, "would have happened" under certain conditions. So, this use of "would" is distinct from the other use of "would."
You basically understand the uses.
At the same time, it would be clearer to break down the uses of "would" into different types. In other words, while "would" is the same word in all cases, it's used in clearly different ways.
Using your examples:
She said that she would join the gym after her GMAT exam. - use of "would" in expressing a past prediction
If I weren't so passionate about creating an impact, I wouldn't have left my previous job. - In this case, "would" is not really past tense. It's used to express what "would" happen, or in this case, "would have happened" under certain conditions. So, this use of "would" is distinct from the other use of "would."
Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
