English Grammar (Modal Verbs or Modal Auxiliaries): Lesson 4-WILL and WOULD (with examples!)

WILL and WOULD: When Do We Use Them?

This is the fourth lesson in the modal verbs or modal auxiliaries series.

Today, we are going to talk about WILL and WOULD.

REMEMBER:

There are 9 modal verbs in English: Must, Can, Could, May, Might, Will, Would, Shall and Should.
Modal verbs are tools that help us to express modality. In fact, modals allow the speaker to express his or her point of view regarding an action, an event or a situation.
Modal verbs always remain the same no matter the subject and cannot be conjugated. Moreover, they do not have present and past participles. (I am will~~ing~~ go./ I ~~have~~ willed go.)

Step 1: Characteristics of WILL

We use WILL in the future tense. (E.g. I will go to Namibia next summer.)
A verb stem always follows WILL. (E.g. He will perform this Saturday.) The verb stem is also known as the base of a verb. You can find examples of verb stems in the dictionary.
We do not add ‘TO‘ after WILL. (E.g. She will to come.)
WILL is able to replace auxiliary verbs such as DO and BE which help us to form questions. (E.g. When will you go?)

Step 2: Examples of WILL in the Affirmative Form (+)

Talking About Future Plans

We often use the modal verb WILL to refer to future events or actions that have been planned. In this case, we also use adverbs or time expressions such as soon, tomorrow, after, the day after tomorrow, at eight, etc.

He will come tomorrow.
I will talk to him after dinner. Moreover, I will have a word with his sister too.
The train will leave at seven.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you talk about future events or actions that have been planned using WILL.

Making Predictions

Here, we use WILL to prophesy or foretell the future. We can base our predictions on experience, observations or scientific knowledge.

The coronavirus pandemic will be better managed once vaccines are available to everyone.
He‘ll be a renowned doctor one day.
People will live on Mars in two hundred years’ time. However, the earth will be in a different state.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you make predictions about the future using WILL.

Expressing Certainty About the Future

This is when we use WILL to show how sure we are about a future event. With WILL, the probability of something happening is high.

He will have arrived by 3 p.m. Besides, he will call us as soon as he is at the airport.
That will be the postman. He always comes around this hour.
We‘ll sleep earlier tonight.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express certainty about the future using WILL.

Expressing Possibility in First Conditionals

We also use WILL to refer to a hypothetical situation that is possible in the future.

I‘ll be happy if he comes.
If the taxi doesn’t arrive soon, I’ll go by bike. Hence, don’t wait for me.
They will be mad if you don’t write to them.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in first conditionals using WILL.

Making Rapid or Spontaneous Decisions

In this case, we use WILL to talk about something that we have just decided to do.

Look, I‘ll talk to him, okay?
I think I‘ll stop smoking this month but I need to have a strong plan.
Wait, I’ll come with you.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you make rapid or spontaneous decisions using WILL.

Making Promises and Offers

In this instance, we use WILL to tell someone that we mean to do something for them.

I will help you, don’t worry.
We will get it for you.
I‘ll marry you.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you offer to do something for someone using WILL.

Making Orders or Commands

We can also use WILL to give an instruction to someone,.

You will respect the rules of this house at all times.
Guests will be asked to leave room keys at the reception before their departure.
You will avoid littering this place.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you give orders to someone using WILL.

Making Suggestions

We can use WILL to give an idea to someone. With WILL, there is more authority to this suggestion or offer.

You have put on too much weight. You will want to go on a diet to shed off some kilogrammes.
Jack, you will decide what to do as you go along.
You will be more efficient during the day if you sleep earlier.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you suggest something to someone using WILL.

Characterising Someone or Something

In some cases, we can use WILL to talk about the characteristics of someone or something. We can also refer to general truths.

Water will boil at 100°C.
Jack will keep me waiting just to annoy me. Hence, I am avoid him at all costs.
Dogs will go out of their way to make you feel loved.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you characterise someone or something using WILL.

Expressing Determination

We can equally use WILL to express our volition, willingness or determination.

I will stop smoking.
We will win this match.
I’ll do my best.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express determination using WILL.

Step 3: Examples of WILL in the Negative Form (-)

Talking about Future Plans

In this context, we use WILL + NOT to talk about something that is not planned to happen in the future.

He will not come tomorrow.
The bus will not arrive on time.
The company will not pay their employees’ salaries this month.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you talk about future events that are not planned to happen using WILL + NOT.

Making Predictions about the Future

Here, we use WILL to prophesy about something that is not going to happen in the future.

The earth will not be destroyed within 50 years. In fact, people will continue to live normal lives with slight changes.
He will never go back to his village.
The government will not give vaccines to everyone.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you make predictions about the future whereby something is not going to happen using WILL + NOT.

Expressing Uncertainty about the Future

This is when we use WILL + NOT to say that something is not likely to happen in the future.

The train won’t arrive on time. However, I won’t wait for it.
He will not win his tennis match.
We won’t go to the concert.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which WILL + NOT are going to be used to talk about something that is very unlikely to happen in the future.

Expressing Impossibility in First Conditionals

In this case, we use WILL + NOT to refer to a hypothetical or unreal situation in which someone will not realise a certain action.

She will not leave him if he changes his ways.
If the manager stops shouting at him, he will not quit his job.
They won’t do their homework if the exercises are too difficult.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in first conditionals using WILL + NOT.

Refusing to Do Something

If you want to say that you do not want to do something, you can use WILL + NOT.

I won’t take out the trash. However, I’m willing to help you on other chores.
She will not talk to me. She even refuses to look at me.
We will not go to the ceremony. Moreover, we will not go to next year’s either.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you refuse to do something using WILL + NOT.

Making Orders or Commands

We can also tell someone not to do something using WILL + NOT.

You will not leave this room whenever you want.
Students, you will not hand in your homework late. However, you may notify me by email if there are any problems and if you need extra help.
You will not backtalk to me.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you order someone not to do something using WILL + NOT.

Step 4: Examples of WILL in the Interrogative Form(?)

Making Requests

WILL is commonly used to ask someone if he or she can do something for us. With WILL, there is a sense that it actually depends on the willingness of the other person to do the action or not.

Will you pass me the salt, please?
Ruth, will you tell me the truth?
Will you come with me?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks someone to do something for him or her using WILL.

Asking Questions in Conditional Sentences

Here, we use WILL to ask WH- or Yes/NO questions in hypothetical or unreal situations. WILL adds the idea of certainty to the question.

What will happen if snow falls in the desert?
Will you come if I bring some cake?
How will this affect me if I proceed to do it anyway?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks WH- or Yes/No questions in conditional sentences using WILL.

Asking for Information

In this case, WILL behaves like an auxiliary verb and helps us to form WH-questions. Usually, there is little doubt as far as the realisation of the action is concerned.

When will you come?
Who will go with you?
How will this be done?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for information using WILL.

Making Commands

It is not unusual to find WILL being used to order someone to do something in the interrogative form.

Will you be quiet?
Who will go with you?
How will this be done?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject orders someone to do something using WILL.

Will and Would (Modal Verbs or Modal Auxiliaries), Learn English With Africa, February 2021

Step 5: Characteristics of WOULD

We use WOULD as the past tense of WILL. (E.g. He told me that he would come.)
We also use WOULD in second conditionals. (E.g If I had a lot of money, I would buy a beautiful house by the lake.) This past form of WILL is also called the unreal past because it refers to an unreal or hypothetical situation. However, note that the action ‘buy a beautiful house‘ will happen in the future.
A verb stem always follows WOULD. (E.g. In those early days, he would call me every single day.) The verb stem is also known as the base of a verb. You can find examples of verb stems in the dictionary.)
We do not add ‘TO‘ after WOULD. (E.g. She would to be happy if you called her.)
WOULD is able to replace auxiliary verbs such as DO and BE which help us to form questions. (E.g. Where would he hide it?)

Step 6: Examples of WOULD in the Affirmative Form (+)

Expressing Repetitive Actions in the Past

We can use WOULD to talk about actions (not states!) that happened in the past on a regular basis. We can replace this with ‘USED TO‘.

He would come to my house every morning. (He used to come to my house every morning.)
They would play basketball each and every evening. Moreover, they would pass by the gym to do some extra exercises.
When she was preparing for his exams, she would wake up at 3 a.m. to study.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences to describe repeated past actions using WOULD.

Expressing Possibility in the Future in Second Conditionals

In this instance, we use WOULD to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations that are possible in the future in second conditional sentences.

If I became a Member of Parliament, I would avoid lying to my constituents.
In fact, if he were rich, he would still remain stingy. He cannot afford to part with his money.
If we became more careful, the state of our planet would be better.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the future using WOULD.

Expressing Possibility in the Past in Third Conditional Sentences

In this case, we use WOULD + HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) to refer to a hypothetical situation that was possible in the past, depending on the realisation of a previous action.

If they had been rich, they would have bought a mansion with a swimming pool.
I would have stopped living in the city, if I had become famous.
If they had come, I would have talked to them.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the past in conditional sentences using WOULD.

Expressing Possibility in the Past

In this case, we use WOULD + HAVE-EN/ED (Present Perfect) to say that something you wanted to do in the past did not happen.

I would have married you.
He would have gone to Havard, but he chose to go to Cambridge.
Why didn’t you wait for us? We would have picked you up!

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express possibility in the past using WOULD.

Reported Speech

We use WOULD to report what someone has said to someone. We also talk of indirect speech.

He said he would do his homework on time. (Direct Speech: I will do my homework on time.)
They insisted that they would write the article no matter the consequences. (Direct Speech: We will write the article no matter the consequences.)
You mentioned that the state president would be there. However, he wasn’t there. (Direct Speech: The state president will be there.)

Expressing Wishes and Preferences

WOULD is used when expressing a desire for something.

I wish you would treat me better.
He wished that they would visit him. However, time passed and they didn’t.
I‘d rather drink this juice.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express wishes using WOULD.

Expressing Opinions

Sometimes, you can use WOULD to say what you think about a certain subject. In fact, using WOULD makes your approach more tentative.

I would think that he would stop lying to them after all this time.
In my opinion, I would say that keeping animals in zoos is detrimental to their mental wellbeing.
I would like to add that people should respect health rules to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express opinions using WOULD.

Giving Advice

It is possible to give tentative recommendations to someone using WOULD.

I‘d suggest that you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
You would better watch less YouTube videos in order to have more time for your studies.
Besides, I would stop drinking beer if I were you.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you give advice to someone using WOULD.

Step 7: Examples of WOULD in the Negative Form (-)

Expressing Impossibility in the Future in Second Conditionals

We can use WOULD + NOT to talk about hypothetical situations that are not possible in the future.

If I became a Member of Parliament, I wouldn’t lie to my constituents.
In fact, if he were rich, he wouldn’t become very generous all over a sudden.
If we told them the truth, they wouldn’t believe us.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the future using second conditionals.

Expressing Impossibility in the Past in Third Conditionals

We can use WOULD + NOT to talk about hypothetical situations that were not possible in the past.

If I had become a Member of Parliament, I wouldn’t have lied to my constituents.
As a matter of fact, if he had decided to go, you wouldn’t have been able to stop him.
If we had told them the truth, they wouldn’t have believed us.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the past in third conditionals using WOULD + NOT.

Expressing Impossibility in the Past

We can use WOULD + NOT to talk about situations that were not likely to happen in the past.

In fact, he wouldn’t have behaved like this ten years ago.
They wouldn’t have talked to me.
She wouldn’t have bought those shoes with the little amount of money that she had.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express impossibility in the past using WOULD + NOT.

Refusing to Do Something in the Past

Here, we use WOULD + NOT to say that someone did not want to do something in the past.

He wouldn’t answer my call.
They wouldn’t let me see her.
She would not open the door.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which someone did not want to do something in the past using WOULD + NOT.

Giving Advice

In this case, we use WOULD + NOT to give recommendations to someone as to what should not be done or what should be avoided.

I wouldn’t do it if I were you.
Frankly speaking, I wouldn’t look at him twice. Therefore, you should avoid him.
I would not believe fake news.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you give recommendations to someone as to what shouldn’t be done using WOULD + NOT.

Expressing Opinions

In some cases, we can use WOULD + NOT to say what we think about a certain situation.

I wouldn’t say that it’s true.
As for me, I wouldn’t do it at any cost.
I would not hesitate to mention that mental wellbeing is essential for everyone.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you express your opinions on a certain subject using WOULD + NOT.

Step 8: Examples of WOULD in the Interrogative Form(?)

Making Polite Requests

We can use WOULD to ask someone if he or she can do something for us in a polite way.

Would you pass by my office please?
Sir, would you know the way to the nearest supermarket?
Would you mind if I borrowed your pen?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject makes polite requests using WOULD.

Asking for Information

In this case, WOULD behaves like an auxiliary verb and helps us to form WH-questions. However, the questions are more formal, polite and tentative.

What would be the reason of your visit ?
Besides, where would he hide?
When would she make an appearance?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which the subject asks for information in a formal and polite way using WOULD.

Asking questions in Conditional Sentences

In this case, we use WOULD to form WH- and Yes/No questions in hypothetical or unreal situations.

How would you behave if somebody told you that you could no longer live in your country?
What would happen if you passed your exams with stellar results?
Who would be your best friend if you were to name one right now?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you ask questions using WOULD in an unreal situation.