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  1. This virus would be done away with somewhere in august.
  2. This virus would have been done away with by autumn.
  3. No one would have anticipated that it would be this long.

In these sentences there is no Conditional Mood but the verb "would" in its modal meaning, isn't it?

Eugene
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1 Answers1

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This virus would be done away with somewhere in August.

The verb is "to be done away with" and is in the "passive future in the past". e.g. It is (historical present) the Spring of 1919 - Spanish 'flu is sweeping (historical present) through the world, but this virus would be done away with somewhere in August."

This virus would have been done away with by autumn.

This requires context, but may be a conditional if the sentence is followed by "if the authorities had taken action."

No one would have anticipated that it would be this long.

This is the past tense of "will".

Greybeard
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  • Thank you very much. I've been seeking an eligible answer for quite a long time. And here is the kernel of my question: can the verb "would" be used in the future time contexts as fully retaining its modality and especially in the Future Perfect? I.e. "This virus would have been done away with by the 15th of June 2020". – Eugene Apr 30 '20 at 10:58
  • @Eugene Yes. As I explained, there is a a hidden "if clause" to the sentence: "If we act (present) now, we will (future) succeed." -- "If we [had] acted (past) then, we would have [already] succeeded (future in the past)." – Greybeard Feb 13 '22 at 12:01