Is "would" more than an auxiliare verb?
Look at this sentence:

"Sunscreen emboldens us to spend longer in the Sun than we would otherwise"

Why "would" doesn't need here of any complementary verb? Can "would" work alone?
Can I change "would" for "could" on this example?

Question

Is "would" more than an auxiliare verb?
Look at this sentence:

"Sunscreen emboldens us to spend longer in the Sun than we would otherwise"

Why "would" doesn't need here of any complementary verb? Can "would" work alone?
Can I change "would" for "could" on this example?

Answer

Thank you Chris, your advice always is really good

Answer

Would takes a verb object.  Here "we would " is an elliptical version of "we would spend."

The statement is an implicit type 2 conditional.  (rephrase) "Sunscreen emboldens us to spend more time in the sun than we WOULD SPEND otherwise (= if we didn't use/have sunscreen).

Here, the modal could can replace would with no significant change in meaning.  Like would, could takes a verb object.  (rephrase) "Sunscreen emboldens us to spend more time in the sun than we COULD SPEND otherwise (= if we didn't use/have sunscreen).

Answer

Thank you Kyler Shea, very good answer, it's clear!

Answer

"Would" is a verb. It doesn't need a complimentary verb. It works alone. You can change "would" for "could" but the meaning is a little different. Also, switching "otherwise" and "would" sounds more natural. You can say:
"Sunscreen emboldens us to spend longer in the Sun than we otherwise would"
"Sunscreen emboldens us to spend longer in the Sun than we otherwise could"

Both are good sentences

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