Unit 36. Would.
Unit 36; Part A

• It would be nice to buy a new car, but we can't afford it.
• I'd love to live by the sea.
• A: Shall I tell Chris what happened?
B: No, I wouldn't say anything. (= I wouldn't say anything in your situation)
We use would have (done) when we imagine situations or actions in the past (= things that didn't happen):
• They helped us a lot. I don't know what we'd have done
(= we would have done) without their help.
• I didn't tell Sam what happened. He wouldn't have been pleased.
Compare would (do) and would have (done):
• I would phone Sue, but I haven't got her number. (now)
I would have phoned Sue, but I didn't have her number. (past)
• I'm not going to invite them to the party. They wouldn't come anyway.
I didn't invite them to the party. They wouldn't have come anyway.
We often use would in sentences with if (see Units 38-40):
• I would phone Sue if I had her number.
• I would have phoned Sue if I'd had her number.
Unit 36; Part B

• I'll stay a bit longer. I've got plenty of time.
I'd stay a bit longer, but I really have to go now. (so I can't stay longer)
• I'll phone Sue. I've got her number.
I'd phone Sue, but I haven't got her number. (so I can't phone her)
Sometimes would/wouldn't is the past of will / won't. Compare:
present • TOM: I'll phone you on Sunday. • ANN: I promise I won't be late. • LIZ: Damn! The car won't start. | past → Tom said he'd phone me on Sunday. → Ann promised that she wouldn't be late. → Liz was annoyed because her car wouldn't start. |
Unit 36; Part C

• I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen to me. (= he refused to listen)
• The car wouldn't start. (= it 'refused' to start)
You can also use would when you talk about things that happened regularly in the past:
• When we were children, we lived by the sea. In summer, if the weather was fine, we would all get up early and go for a swim. (= we did this regularly)
• Whenever Richard was angry, he would walk out of the room.
With this meaning, would is similar to used to (see Unit 18):
• Whenever Richard was angry, he used to walk out of the room.
Exercises
![]() | Unit 35 Unit 36 Unit 37 | ![]() |
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