will and would

Will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might and must are modal verbs. They are used to express meaning of certainty or obligation and freedom to act.



Subject + modal + base form of second verb
will certainty Just be patient; he'll come. confidence about future events
Don't call them now - they'll be having dinner. confidence about present events
willingness & decisions I'll help you repair your computer. Shall is normally used with the 1st person singular (I shall) and plural (we shall); today, it is acceptable to use will.
requests & orders Will you deliver the goods on Monday?
Will you be quiet! Use will to tell people what to do - an order
habits She'll talk with food in her mouth.
would future in the past There was a chance that my entry would arrive in time for the judging. Would is used to talk about something which had not yet happened in the past.
past willingness He would dismantle the computer, clean the different parts and reassemble them. Would is used to talk about general past willingness but not a past willingness to do something specific.

Example: She agreed to would come and see me.
requests - polite Would you (please) come this way?
past habits When she was younger, she would talk with food in her mouth. Used to is used to talk about past states that have changed.

Example: My grandfather used to would have a hotel in the city centre.
conditional - unreal or uncertain situations I would tour Europe if I had the money. Would is normally used in the main clause of conditional sentences to refer to unreal or uncertain situations.
reported speech "Tomorrow will be clear and sunny."

The forecast predicted that the next day would be clear and sunny.