Re: Methods of Question-Forming

Joe Fatula scripsit:

> I'm not sure what's up with
> "would", where "what wouldst thou" seems right, but for "he", "he would"
> seems like the right form.  And it just occured to me that "would" doesn't
> take an "s" today, either.  Interesting.
None of the modal verbs take -s in the 3sg.  Historically these are verbs
that lost their present tense, and use the old past tense instead, later
growing a new past tense: thus "will" grew "would".  In main clauses,
"will" and "would" pretty much go their separate ways, but in subordinate
clauses we can still see the present:past relationship:

        He says that he will go.
        He said that he would go.

A few verbs, like "dare", can function either as modals or not.

--
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all.  There
are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language
that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful.
        --_The Hobbit_

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