Writing Tips
http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional Links
-
Translation Bureau
Language Portal of Canada
-
TERMIUM Plus®
-
Index W
- waive
- warmist
- warranty
- wary of
- wave
- Web (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- whatsoever
- when and if
- whereas
- where … at
- whether
- which
- while
- whiskey
- whisky
- Whitehorse
- Whitehorser
- Whitehorsian
- who
- whom
- who’s
- whose (1)
- whose (2)
- wide
- widow
- widow of the late
- Winnipeg
- Winnipegger
- with a view to
- withhold from
- with reference to
- with regard to
- with the exception of
- woman
- worship
- would
Proactive Disclosure
Important notice
Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Search and Functionalities Area
would
This verb is widely misused in constructions such as "If I would earn an ‘A’ in the exam, I would be happy."
The above example expresses a hypothetical, though possible, condition and calls for the past tense, or for should or were to, in place of the verb would in the if clause.
- Past tense: If Al had (not would have) known, he would have come.
- Should: If you should (not would) ever be in trouble, I would help you.
- Were to: If I were to (not would) earn an ‘A’ in the exam, I would be happy.
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2025
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau
