would
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
How often you will meet it
Rank 42 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 666,822 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.317% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 100 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
modal verb
- used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
would in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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Nay gran'ther, I would liefer tarry here.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
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If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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She wondered how on earth Miss Oakley would manage them.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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Four better types of the Blue-grass and of the mountains it would be hard to find.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1
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She knew as certainly as if the fifteen seniors had told her that Floyd would be "tapped for Bones."
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1