Would\Should

Which is more formal?


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    275

Williamyh

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In modern english, we won't use "shall" and "should"
to instead of "will" and "would"...but in old style english, especially in British English, I, we, they were followed by should, others were followed by would, this is what I learnt from the Educational TV programme.
 

fatma.y

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I think (would) is more formal than should.
We usually use (should) to obligate a person to do something.
this my opinion :)


fatma
 

Rogers

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I voted for i should be very grateful....
 

hideandseek

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I would be very grateful
 

GreyMan

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I might have misread the whole thing. I'm definitely aware of the older/formal usage of should.
But in a current context I might say "I should be grateful for it, but I can't." It refers to something that's supposed to be the case but isn't.
Or "I would be grateful if ..."; there's a condition to it, but it might happen.

Not too different I suppose ... :oops:
 

Tdol

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I do still use it sometimes in writing.
 

Nakuru

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"Should" sounds more formal to me.
 

lalatinla

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medic

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Would usually, refers to future tenses.

Should refers to giving advice or orders.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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The first makes little sense:

Should = ought to.

And indeed you probably should. Why wouldn't you? For should to make sense, further explanation would (yes, WOULD) be required: I should be very grateful if you gave me all the money in the cash register, but since I'm pointing a gun at your nose, I sincerely doubt you'd do anything else. In fact, you should be grateful to me for leaving intact your nose and the noble visage it graces.

This might be another case of the difference between Briish and American English.
 

Tarheel

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The first makes little sense:

Should = ought to.

And indeed you probably should. Why wouldn't you? For should to make sense, further explanation would (yes, WOULD) be required: I should be very grateful if you gave me all the money in the cash register, but since I'm pointing a gun at your nose, I sincerely doubt you'd do anything else. In fact, you should be grateful to me for leaving intact your nose and the noble visage it graces.

This might be another case of the difference between Briish and American English.

Yes, it is. (The brief dialogue between RonBee and Tdol is illustrative of that.)
 
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