Use 'will be' or 'would be' in a story written in past tense?
'They went hunting in the woods. They would be hunting again tomorrow morning.'
OR
'They went hunting in the woods. They will be hunting again tomorrow morning.'
Which is the right sentence and why? Thanks in advance!
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 5
1
It depends.
Last Monday, they went hunting in the woods. Before leaving, they had told the innkeeper that they would hunt again the next day.
"they would hunt" = future in the past (the future after last Monday).
Today, they went hunting in the woods. Before leaving, they had told the innkeeper that they will hunt again tomorrow.
"they will hunt" = future
More information:
https://www.ef.com/ca/english-resources/english-grammar/tense-changes-when-using-reported-speech/
https://www.ef.com/ca/english-resources/english-grammar/changing-time-and-place-references/
1
Very good question.
'They went hunting in the woods. They will go hunting again tomorrow morning.' is correct.
It is 'They will be...' because you are talking about a definite future action, i.e. tomorrow morning we will definitely go hunting again.
0
Both work. "Would" expresses less certainty. "Will" expresses more certainty.
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