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I am a little unclear about the usage of will or would under these scenarios. Will it get wet in the rain? or Would it get wet in the rain?

Will food go through? or Would food go through?

How will my clothes look under it? or How would my clothes look under it?

Thanks.

Prateek Dubey
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  • People might want to avoid the less hedged 'will' in favour of the equivalent 'would' here if they're say buying something from a salesperson. There are other situations where 'would' should be used, but you need more context to show that these are in play. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 09 '17 at 17:04
  • Hi Edwin. The context here is someone asking these questions about an object (A quilt of shadows). He is sitting and wondering–I'll just post the paragraph for you to assess.

    I could use it as a shield on a hot day or hide behind it if threatened. Or even wear it while driving. Would it get wet in the rain? How would my clothes look with it? Would food go through? What if I wore sunglasses under it?

    I want to know whether 'would' can be replaced with 'will'. Thanks.

     – Prateek Dubey Aug 09 '17 at 17:08
  • I can't see much continuity here from the 'I could' predictions(?) to the wonderings about other properties. But if it's all hypothetical anyway, stick with 'would' until you've actually found/made a QoS. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 09 '17 at 20:12

1 Answers1

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I'd say "Will it get wet in the rain ?" is fine on it's own, it feels natural and complete, at least for me. But "Would it get wet in the rain ?" would require an addition like an if something, eg: "Would it get wet in the rain ? If I leave it outside all night." But that's just the way I see it...

user365045
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