WILL vs WOULD (ADVANCED) (EXERCISE A69E270)

We use will: •             to talk about the future – to say what we believe will happen •             to make promises and offers •             to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do Would:  is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense it is used: •             to talk about the past. •             to talk about hypotheses – things that are imagined rather than true. •             for politeness.

Beliefs: We use will: • to say what we believe will happen in the future:     We'll be late.     We will have to take the train. We use would as the past tense of will: • to say what we believed would happen:     I thought I would be late …… so I would have to take the train.

Offers and promises: We use I will or We will to make offers and promises: I’ll give you a lift home after the party. We will come and see you next week.

Willingness: •  to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do:       We’ll see you tomorrow.           Perhaps dad will lend me the car. We use would as the past tense of will: •  to talk about what people wanted to do or were willing to do:      We had a terrible night. The baby wouldn’t go to sleep. He kept waking up and  crying.       Dad wouldn’t lend me the car, so we had to take the train. • to talk about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it: When they were children they used to spend their holidays at their grandmother’s at the seaside. They would get up early every morning and they’d have a quick breakfast then they would run across the road to the beach.

EXERCISE:

Read the sentences and decide whether the gap should be filled with 'will' or 'would'.

(1)   __________________ you mind closing the door ?

(2)   Maybe I _________________ speak to her.

(3)   We __________________ see what happens tomorrow.

(4)   What _________________ you like to eat?

(5)   If I see her I ___________________ let her know.

(6)   She ________________________ speak to me, she was so upset.

(7)   I promise I ___________________________ tell anyone.

(8)   She thought she _________________________ be late, so she took a taxi.

(9)   When I was in the army, we ______________________ get up at 5.30 a.m.

  
ANSWERS

WILL vs WOULD

EXERCISE:

Read the sentences and decide whether the gap should be filled with 'will' or 'would'.

(1)   Would you mind closing the door ?

(2)   Maybe I will speak to her.

(3)   We will see what happens tomorrow.

(4)   What would you like to eat?

(5)   If I see her I will let her know.

(6)   She wouldn’t speak to me, she was so upset.

(7)   I promise I won’t tell anyone.

(8)   She thought she would be late, so she took a taxi.

(9)   When I was in the army, we would get up at 5.30 a.m.

TO PRINT