A2 - Will - would

WILL AND WOULD: HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS

        

Will and would can be used to talk about repeated and habitual behaviour. Will refers to the present. Would refers to the past.

 

When nobody's looking, she'll go into the kitchen and steal

biscuits.

He'll often say something and then forget what it was he said.

On Sundays, when I was a child, we would get up early and go

fishing.

He would never let anybody know what he was doing.

 

With a strong stress on will or would, the meaning becomes one of criticism.

 

You 'will keep forgetting things.

 And also:

Stressed would is used to criticise one action — the meaning is often 'that's typical of you'.

 

You 'would tell Mary about the party - I didn't want to invite

her.

 

Will is used to talk about the natural behaviour of things.

 

If you put a match to it, real amber won't melt, but imitation will.

Gold won't dissolve in hydrochloric acid.