Forum newsfeeds 
|  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
02-Dec-2008, 13:33
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Country: China
Posts: 585
Current Location: Fuzhou First Language: Chinese Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 865
Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts
| |  would/should
--How's your tour around the North Lake? Is it beautiful?
--It ______ be, but it's heavily polluted.
A. would B. should
The given answer is B. But I think A is fine too. Am I right?
Could I ask native speakers to help me please? Thank you in advance. | | The Following User Says Thank You to joham For This Useful Post: | |
02-Dec-2008, 13:55
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Country: Southern California
Posts: 75
Current Location: Spain First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 13
Thanked 37 Times in 32 Posts
| | Re: would/should
I would say "would" because the pollution is an obstacle to the Lake being beautiful.
Comparable sentence: I would be running right now, but my leg is broken. (Because my leg is broken, I am not running). | | The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to calinative For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 05:06
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Country: China
Posts: 43
Current Location: Jiangxi ; Shanghai First Language: Chinese Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts
| | Re: would/should
Quote:
I would say "would" because the pollution is an obstacle to the Lake being beautiful.
Comparable sentence: I would be running right now, but my leg is broken. (Because my leg is broken, I am not running).
| If the second speaker knew that the lake itself was beautiful, I think the most probable choice would be should instead of would, though would or could even might are possible alternatives here (but would have a slightly different meaning). I was told should shows one's own experience or his own previous knowledge of something or the moral criterion, for example, that he wants to compare to.
I am not a native, but I want to make clear that you are not supposing that should is wrong here, are you? Maybe there is a difference between American English and British English?
Many many thanks.
Last edited by henz988; 04-Dec-2008 at 05:15.
| | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to henz988 For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 07:47
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Country: England
Posts: 2,370
Current Location: France First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 129
Thanked 1,096 Times in 995 Posts
| | Re: would/should
'Should' is correct in my opinion. | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to bhaisahab For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 08:24
| | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Country: china
Posts: 102
Current Location: sichuan First Language: chinese Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 112
Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
| | Re: would/should
Quote:
Originally Posted by bhaisahab  'Should' is correct in my opinion. | Hi,bhaisahab.Thank you a lot.
What do you think of WOULD?
Isn't it correct?
Thanks for your attention.
Last edited by norwolf; 04-Dec-2008 at 08:40.
| | The Following User Says Thank You to norwolf For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 08:57
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Country: England
Posts: 2,370
Current Location: France First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 129
Thanked 1,096 Times in 995 Posts
| | Re: would/should
No, it's not wrong but has a slightly different meaning. | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to bhaisahab For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 09:04
| | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Country: china
Posts: 102
Current Location: sichuan First Language: chinese Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 112
Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
| | Re: would/should
Quote:
Originally Posted by bhaisahab No, it's not wrong but has a slightly different meaning. | I appreciate your help. |
04-Dec-2008, 09:15
|  | Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Myanmar (Burma)
Posts: 496
Current Location: Hlegu Township,Yangon Division First Language: Myanmar Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 38
Thanked 54 Times in 50 Posts
| | Re: would/should
Quote:
Originally Posted by bhaisahab No, it's not wrong but has a slightly different meaning. | Please, could you explain how they are different? | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to whitemoon For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 09:15
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Country: UK
Posts: 3,878
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 3
Thanked 1,527 Times in 1,360 Posts
| | Re: would/should
What is the speaker intending to say in this sentence?
Hearing "It should be...", the listener expects a subsequent statement such as 'but they still haven't finished cleaning up the pollution" (as the authorities had promised they would).
Instead, the clause gives no indication of a realistic, justifiable expectation that was not met, purely an observation on its polluted state. Even if we posit that he had been drawn to the region by Tourist Bureau advertisements promising "Nature at her unspoiled finest", it still strikes me as an odd choice.
With 'would', then in this context, it is used to express an opinion, and makes more sense - 'it would be but for all the pollution' - (just as 'could be if the pollution problem was solved' makes sense).
I think 'would' is the better choice. | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to David L. For This Useful Post: | |
04-Dec-2008, 12:28
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Country: China
Posts: 43
Current Location: Jiangxi ; Shanghai First Language: Chinese Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 0
Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts
| | Re: would/should
Quote: |
Instead, the clause gives no indication of a realistic, justifiable expectation that was not met, purely an observation on its polluted state. Even if we posit that he had been drawn to the region by Tourist Bureau advertisements promising "Nature at her unspoiled finest", it still strikes me as an odd choice.
| If the second speaker knew the lake was beautiful before, I think it is not a problem of "would be beautiful" (in that it was beautiful), it is a problem kind of "would be more beautiful" (without the lake being polluted) or "it should be at least as beautiful as it was before"
On the other hand, if the second speaker didn't know the lake, he may simply say "Oh, it has been badly polluted". Logically, because the lake is polluted now, he can't tell his friend that it would / should be beautiful because he himself has never seen its real/original appearance, though would/could/might may be acceptable in a colloquial conversation as a conditional use.
In the first situation, I don't see anything odd with should here.
(I am not a native and maybe I don't know should/would well)
Last edited by henz988; 04-Dec-2008 at 13:13.
| | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 03:23. | |
