One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, was for Harry’s least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, who [color=red]would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month.
This part is from Harry Potter. Is this [color=red]would the past of will or is it the same as in “I am so lucky to have you guys helping me with my English or I [color=red]would never learn so much.” (This sentence is from me, so not quite sure if it’s correct. :P)
The whole Harrry Potter story is written in past tense (I am not sure if this is the right way to say it, I mean the story is told as if it was a true story that happened in the past. Hope you understant what I am trying to say), as a lot of novels do. So some of the words and expressions, like [color=blue]would,could, would’ve, could’ve are confusing me. Take [color=blue]would and [color=blue]would’ve for example, [color=blue]would can work either as an “independent” word or as the past tense of [color=blue]will, and [color=blue]would’ve works in the sense of “past past”. Now that the book is in past tense, I sometimes find it hard to decide whether the word ,like [color=blue]would, is used as the past tense of [color=blue]will or is used independently without being influnced by the “tone tense” of the book, which is already past; As for [color=blue]would’ve, does the" past past" it express including “the basic past” the book is based on?
I know what I am saying might be confusing for you guys, because this problem with the tenses is from a foreigner’s point of view, so I will keep posting the example sentences here from books I am reading, mainly Harry Potter to make it easy for you to explain. :）
‘Would’ is a conditional verb form there. It is something that Snape is always eager to do.
Confusion over such a modal verb is perfectly understandable. Lots of native English speakers get confused too. There’s a neat little tabular summary for ‘would’ here which may help.
There is an opinion that some of Rowling’s grammar is questionable - but equally it could be argued that the informal feel is necessary. Either way, I look forward to revisiting Hogwarts with you.
I’m going to have a rare disagreement with BN here.
Since this is a narrative written in the past tense, the word ‘would’ is a past form which refers to the future within the context of the past. (‘future in the past’) I don’t see it as conditional.
If the text had been written in the present tense, the word ‘will’ would have been used in the sentence. (prediction of the future)
[color=darkblue]________________________________________________________ [size=75]“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” ~ Albert Einstein[/size]
If I reach saturation oint, I’ll let you know, but I find iy hard to resist a challenge.
By the way, note the spelling: buried.
When adding a suffix the letter is doubled if the word ends with a short vowel sound, then a short consonant sound (pot/potted; run/running)
‘Bury’ ends with ‘consonant / consonant’ phonemes, not ‘short vowel/consonant.’ phonemes. The ‘i’ replaces the ‘y’ in the standard way of course.
Secondly, I find it more like a living language than just some tests, which I hate and always refuse to do if possible, when I hear different interpretations.
I think Bev was saying that she agrees with the ‘future in the past’ idea.
Here is a little worksheet I found online about ‘future in the past’ if you’re interested, Ruifeng: future in the past
What you were trying to describe in your first post is what I would call ‘future in the past’.
The tenses do tend to get a little confusing in past narratives.
[color=darkblue]_______________________________________________________ [size=75]“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” ~ Winston Churchill[/size]
One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, was for Harry’s least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, who [color=red]would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month.
Still about this narrative:
[color=red]1. if I squeeze myself in it and change it into present tense, it will go like this:
One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, is for my least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, who [color=red]will be delighted to have an excuse to give me detention for a month.
Acceptable?
[color=red]2.)If I may give a slight change to the new narrative, if it’s ok, it might go like this:
One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, is for my least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, who [color=red]would be delighted to have an excuse to give me detention for a month [color=blue](if I didn’t do it well enough).
Is this acceptablt?
[color=red]3.) If number 2 is acceptable, how do we turn it back into past tense with Harry in it instead of me?
I am not familiar with Harry Potter but on the face of it if this narrative is written describing the past, it seems to be that what is needed here is ‘would have been delighted’. The implication is then that something like this follows: if he had found an excuse… And that makes it conditional, doesn’t it?
Barely… I would still use ‘would’ there.
Now I’m more confused because it still sounds as if it’s conditional to me.
He would want to do this if he could find a reason.
One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about Shrinking Potions, was for Harry’s least favourite teacher, Professor Snape, who would have been delighted to have an excuse to give him detention for a month (for any reason he could find)
It looks as if Alan and I are in agreement. I didn’t see the message at the top of this page until after I replied to the message on the bottom of the page before.
S&S, can you please tell me which chapter that quote is in. I’d like to see the wider context. I have a feeling that ‘would be’ is used because Harry was actually doing something at that point which Snape would give him detention for if he were caught. Is that correct?
Lots of native English speakers get confused too. There’s a neat little tabular summary for ‘would’ 
