NAL123
Member
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2020
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Hindi
- Home Country
- India
- Current Location
- India
In a classroom, one student (A) to another (B):
A: I'm surprised! How did you know I wrote it on the board? (The writing is still there on the board)
B1: It's pretty simple. Looking at the handwriting, anyone could guess you wrote it. (Guessing about the present)
B2: It's pretty simple. Looking at the handwriting, anyone would guess you wrote it. (Guessing about the present)
Is the verb "wrote" used in a hypothetical/unreal sense in B1 and B2, just like the modal verbs "could" and "would"? Or does it have a real past meaning, as it has in the statement of A: How did you know I wrote it on the board?
Note: the context and sentences are all mine.
A: I'm surprised! How did you know I wrote it on the board? (The writing is still there on the board)
B1: It's pretty simple. Looking at the handwriting, anyone could guess you wrote it. (Guessing about the present)
B2: It's pretty simple. Looking at the handwriting, anyone would guess you wrote it. (Guessing about the present)
Is the verb "wrote" used in a hypothetical/unreal sense in B1 and B2, just like the modal verbs "could" and "would"? Or does it have a real past meaning, as it has in the statement of A: How did you know I wrote it on the board?
Note: the context and sentences are all mine.
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