English Language & Usage Asked by English NOOB on September 5, 2020
"We can’t give him the code, even though he has your wife. The deal is not worth it. The code could kill millions. We can not let that happen. We can not afford millions to die."
"The code could kill millions." Shouldn’t "could" be "would" since it is saying that if the code is used, it would kill millions? Is "The code could kill millions" saying that if it is used, it is possible to kill millions (not guaranteed), or will kill millions if used?
Both would and could are modal auxiliary verbs.
The following two quotes are from Michael Swan's Practical English Usage:
We use could for 'general ability' — for example to say that somebody could do something at any time, whenever he/she wanted.
and
...we use past tenses and would to 'distance' our language from reality.
When using could, it implies that the situation is plausible. On the other hand, would suggests that the situation is hypothetical.
The author is trying to show that the situation (in which the code kills millions of people) is plausible, so the characters have to stop it from happenning.
Answered by John B. on September 5, 2020
Get help from others!
Recent Questions
Recent Answers
© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP