Please help if you could

[LittlePenguin]

I come across this website I I found something I couldn't solve, please help if you know the answer. The website, grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/auxiliary.htm title:Uses of Will and Would", has this definition for modal verb would:

"
Would can also be used to express willingness:

* Would you please take off your hat?

It can also express insistence (rather rare, and with a strong stress on the word "would"):

* Now you've ruined everything. You would act that way.

and characteristic activity:

* customary: After work, he would walk to his home in West Hartford.
* typical (casual): She would cause the whole family to be late, every time.

In a main clause, would can express a hypothetical meaning:

* My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wants.

Finally, would can express a sense of probability:

* I hear a whistle. That would be the five o'clock train.
"

The sentence in blue is the one I have problem with. This statement is hypothetical and yet it uses present tense after would, which is totally contradict to 2nd conditional rule. Why?

 

[Rover_KE]

'...if I let her eat...' means '...if I allowed her to eat...' or '...if I permitted her to eat...'

Does that help?

Rover

 

[2006]

"
In a main clause, would can express a hypothetical meaning:

* My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wants. :tick:

Which present tense word are you concerned about? And what word do you think should be used instead of that word?

2006

 

[LittlePenguin]

Sorry, I still don't get it
Rover_KE, you say that
'...if I let her eat...' means '...if I allowed her to eat...' or '...if I permitted her to eat...'
If we change "let her eat" to "allowed her to eat", don't we need to change "what she wants" to "what she wanted" as well? Verb after "let" should be put to its original form, this one I understand, but the clause "what she wants" says this is a present tense hypothesis, why would can still be used here instead of will? Following is yet another example:

I would weigh a ton if I eat what I want.

Could anyone who knows please tell me why?

 

[emsr2d2]

Following is yet another example:

I would weigh a ton if I eat what I want.

Could anyone who knows please tell me why?

I would weigh a ton if I ate what I want.

I will weigh a ton if I eat what I want.

 

[LittlePenguin]

emsr2d2
What would you say about this example then?

My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wants.

A present tense hypothesis after would, how do you analyze it?

 

[emsr2d2]

emsr2d2
What would you say about this example then?

My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wants.

A present tense hypothesis after would, how do you analyze it?

I wouldn't. "Let" is the past tense of "let"! The second half of the sentence begins with a past tense.

 

[LittlePenguin]

emsr2d2
Even as you said, "let" has the same form in past and present tense, my point is, how do you explain the clause "what she wants"? Which is in present tense. Should we simply change the sentence from
i) My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wants.
to
ii) My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat what she wanted?
Are you saying sentence i) is wrong?

 

[2006]

I think that the blue sentences can be simply considered to be future conditional, and I don't see the need to use past tense verbs.

My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I (would) let her eat what she wants.

I would weigh a ton if I (would) eat what I want.

 

[2006]

Consider another context: "I would rent that house if I were you." That is "would" plus a "were" (past in form, but actually present/future hypothetical).
It seems more accurate to call it contrary to fact. It's the subjunctive "were".
And I think it's different than the conditional situation.

2006

 

[LittlePenguin]

David's Safe Grammar David's Safe Grammar,
I can't say I know English, but I could say I do know bit of it. If somebody gave me grammatical conditional questions I probably could get them all right. My question of this thread is, would has multiple uses besides the simple definition of "the past tense of will". I have some questions concerning the usage of would that I really hope you could help me with. Anyone who has his/her own view is welcome to try.

1) Could you please tell me the following sentence is present tense or past tense?
Can you draw any pictures that would help you remember the following vocabulary.
Would, in this case has the meaning of "are able to", not the past tense of will, would you say differently?

2) Is would really the past tense of will here?
Fifteen plus five is(=would be) twenty, if we divide the outcome by four, the answer would be(=is) five.
Here "would be" has the exact meaning of "is", would you say would is the past tense of will in this case? Or the above sentence is utterly wrong, that we should change the "would be" to "will be"?

3) What would you say about the dialogs below:

i) Waitress: Would you like to order a drink first while you are waiting for your friend?
Patron: I would if you would show me a big smile.
Here would has the meaning of "are willing to", wouldn't you say so?

ii) Wife: Would you help me move the table to the courtyard if I apologize to you now?
Husband: I would help you if you apologize to me now.
Should we change the above question asked by wife to past tense as the time of asking is vividly present?

iii) Friend A: Would you travel around the world if you get your money back/ Would you travel around the world if you have two million dollars?
Friend B: I would if I have two million dollars.

iii) Wife: Would you drive your son to baseball practice tommorow morning?
Husband: I would if you cook my favorite dish for me tonight.
Is the above conversation correct? Do we need to change would to will? Is would still a past tense of will here?

I think would has a very important meaning of "are willing to", when would is used as "are willing to", the verb "would" no longer bound by any tenses and it has its free form to bind itself to any sentence it sees fit. For example:
a) I would(am willing to) sell my house if the offer price goes a little bit higher.
b) I would(am willing to) dance all night if the DJ is here with me.
c) People would(are willing to) buy more adornment if they have more money to spend.
Am I wrong?

 

[LittlePenguin]

Is the following usage of would correct? Does it has the meaning "past tense of will"?

NBA-The Playoffs, website is nba.com/analysis/00423850.html
...
...
...
Thus, if a division winner plays a second-place team from another division that had a better regular season record, the second-place team would get the home-court advantage.

Is would a past tense of will?

 

[2006]

Is the following usage of would correct? yes
Does it has the meaning "past tense of will"? no

NBA-The Playoffs, website is nba.com/analysis/00423850.html
...
...
...
Thus, if a division winner plays a second-place team from another division that had a better regular season record, the second-place team would get the home-court advantage.

Is would a past tense of will? not in the above sentence

2006