Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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 Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:30 am Post subject: the usage of 'would' |
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| Quote: |
| Months before, her older sister had died of the disease. Later, a younger brother would succumb. All were chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus. |
In the above quote, I think 'a younger brother would succumb.' is wrong.
Instead, I think 'a younger brother had succumbed.' is right.
Can you explain why the writer used 'would succumb' instead of 'had succumbed'?
Thanks. |
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CP
Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 2875
Location: California
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:40 am Post subject: |
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The passage is correct as written.
It is speaking about time T, sometime in the past. Previous to time T, the older sister died, so it is expressed with the past perfect -- "older sister had died." Later than time T, the younger brother is going to die, but from the point of view of time T, it is in the future, so "would" is the right verb.
If you use "had succumbed" for the younger brother, you are saying that he died prior to time T, not after time T. The past perfect is further back in time than the past tense.
If the passage were re-written from the point of view of some different time, then the tenses would have to change.
From the point of view of today: "Her older sister died of the disease, and later, her older brother succumbed." Or, "Her older brother died of the disease, the same one that her younger sister had died of earlier."
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb |
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