I'd, He'd, ... Sometimes I get confused with the distinction of using squeezed WOULD and HAD at the end of phrases like "I'd", "He'd" and so on. Which one of the words was used in a phrase? The simple

Ivan

I'd, He'd, ... Sometimes I get confused with the distinction of using squeezed WOULD and HAD at the end of phrases like "I'd", "He'd" and so on. Which one of the words was used in a phrase? The simple case is Conditionals, I usually have no troubles with it but in other cases I often have problems. Is there a strong rule on the subject?

Apr 15, 2019 11:45 AM

Comments · 4

If the contraction is followed by the infinitive, then it's "would". If it's followed by the past participle then it's "had".

He'd like to fly. (he would like)
He'd already gone. (he had)

April 15, 2019

Ivan, in that case, we need to look at the context. I was going to say that if there’s an if-clause, then it’s probably the conditional. If there’s a reference to another past event that is mentioned first but happened last, it’s probably past perfect. However, those rules don’t really work:

“If he realized the truth he would become scared.” (This an unreal present conditional. It’s true that this could conceivably be a real past conditional (with "would" in the sense of "used to"), but in any case, it’s “would”.)

“He realized that he’d become his father.” (I wrote this thinking it was “had”, but it could conceivably be “would” either as a conditional or as the future in the past.)

The best strategy is to be aware of the *whole* context — not just verbal, but also the entire situation.

April 17, 2019