Use of "would"

[Clever username]

Why do some people write: "He would score with 7:01 remaining ..." or "The defense would force a turnover ..." instead of just writing, "He scored with 7:01 remaining ..."

It happened. It might have happened after something else, but it still happened. That play is over, never to be run again. The future holds nothing for that play. I've never understood why people do this and it irritates me to no end when I see it, but I've seen it enough to wonder if it is, in some way, grammatically correct.

 

[Chi City 81]

I would comment on this thread, by saying I agree with you.

 

[21]

At least they didn't go with, 'he would of scored...'

Your example isn't grammatically incorrect, it's just silly writing.

 

[Barsuk]

I think people pick up this nasty habit from TV folks. When I see it in print, it always makes me think of the TV highlight in which the scoring play isn't shown, but the anchor says, "He would go on to score three plays later," or some such thing.

Completely unnecessary in print, though, because you don't need to explain why the viewer/reader can't see the play happening.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Some people think it sounds more intelligent or more formal. A lot of amateurs (new stringers, youth sports people, etc.) seem to think newspaper writing is more formal than it is.

 

[Mighty_Wingman]

This might be my No. 1 pet peeve. Everyone at my shop does it, and more often than not, the errors make it into print. There's no excuse: It's just bad writing. But Barsuk's right: I think it is a TV-related thing.

 

[joe]

I would have been OK if I hadn't drank that jumbo martini.

 

[Barsuk]

I would have been OK if I hadn't drank that jumbo martini.

If it weren't for my horse, I would have never spent that year in college.

 

[ARD]

See it frequently; remove it at the same rate.

 

[John]

I see this more in SID copy than anywhere else.

 

[Editude]

It's also underused by people who use "will" instead when referring to future if/would sequences.

 

[mike311gd]

I've got some would for you. ...

 

[jlee]

I've only found one situation in which "would" worked. It was a feature with a narrative set in the past, and it referred to "future" events with "would."