Hi, welcome to another video in the quick fix series.
Today you will learn about WOULD HAVE and WOULDN’T HAVE in English.
So, let’s get started.
Would is a modal verb and we use it to talk about the past.
We use it with have and a past participle.
or in the negative, we have wouldn’t have + past participle.
For example: I would have left earlier if I had known I was going to miss the train.
This is a third conditional sentence used to talk about something that did not happen in the past.
It is an imaginary past. Almost as if you are imagining a different past.
You didn’t leave earlier.
If you want to see a lesson about the third conditional you can click the link above now.
Or in the negative
I wouldn’t have got this job if I hadn’t met Mr Smith.
So, you are imagining your life if you hadn’t met Mr. Smith.
But you did meet Mr Smith. So you got the job.
Or
If it had been a little warmer, we would have gone for a swim.
But it was cold so we didn't go for a swim.
or in the negative
If he had texted her, she wouldn't have replied.
Here, you didn’t text her, but if you had, you imagine that she wouldn’t have replied.
The second use of would have and wouldn’t have is as the past tense form of will have and won't have.
We use will have when we are looking back from a point in time in the future:
By the end of the year, scientists will have discovered a cure for the coronavirus.
Let's hope so. Fingers crossed!
So on a timeline
This is now and this is the end of the year and sometime before the end of the year,
scientists will have discovered a cure for the coronavirus.
It could be here, or here but sometime before the end of the year.
Or looking back from the present.
Look at the time. The match will have started.
So, here on a timeline. we are looking back from now
and the match will have started sometime before the time of speaking, before now.
So would have and wouldn’t have is as the past tense form of this will have.
So, for example: I phoned at six o'clock. I knew he would have got home by then.
So on a timeline you phoned in the past and
you are looking back to an earlier past. Sometime before the time you phoned he would have got home.
or
It was half-past five. Dad wouldn’t have finished work.
So, let’s look at that on a timeline. Here is half-past five in the past and any time before that
he wouldn’t have finished work. In other words, Dad was still working at half-past five.
So, that’s it for now. I hope you feel more confident with would have
and wouldn’t have in English. Remember to like this video if you found it useful,
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By for now, see you very soon!