Well vs Would - What's the difference?
well | would |
(lb) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.
* {{quote-book, 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, chapter=The Tutor's Daughter, Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page=
, passage=In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well -remembered road.}}
*
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (lb) Completely, fully.
*
(lb) To a significant degree.
*
*
*
Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
* 1999 , "Drummond Pearson", What Ash are doing right now...'' (on Internet newsgroup ''alt.music.ash )
* 2002 , "jibaili", FIFA 2003 How is it?'' (on Internet newsgroup ''microsoft.public.xbox )
* 2003 , Steve Eddy, Empower, Book 2
In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.
* (John Dryden) (1631-1700)
* (John Milton) (1608-1674)
* (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
In good health.
(archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised.
* 1897 , National Association of Railway Surgeons, Railway surgeon , page 191:
Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.
* , chapter=5
, title= An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled.
Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=“Well ,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.}}
Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause.
A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.
* Bible, John iv. 11
A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.
* Milton
A small depression suitable for holding liquid, or other objects.
(figurative) A source of supply.
* Spenser
* Keble
(nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.
(nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.
(nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.
(nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.
(military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
(architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.
(metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.
A well drink.
(video games) The playfield of the video game Tetris , into which the blocks fall.
To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
* Dryden
* Bryant
To have something seep out of the surface.
(lb) As a past-tense form of (will).
#(lb) Wished, desired (something).
#(lb) Wanted to ( + bare infinitive).
#*1852 , James Murdock, trans. Johann Lorenz Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History , II.7.iii:
#*:The Greeks, especially those who would be thought adepts in mystic theology, ran after fantastic allegories.
#Used to; was or were habitually accustomed to ( + bare infinitive); indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly.
#*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=No matter how early I came down, I would' find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man ' would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
#*2009 , "Soundtrack of my life", The Guardian , 15 March:
#*:When we were kids we would sit by the radio with a tape recorder on a Sunday, listening out for the chart songs we wanted to have.
#Used with bare infinitive to form the "anterior future", indicating a futurity relative to a past time.
#*1867 , (Anthony Trollope), (w) , Ch.28:
#*:That her Lily should have been won and not worn, had been, and would be, a trouble to her for ever.
#*
#*:Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.
#*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 5, author=Phil Dawkes, work=BBC Sport
, title= #(lb) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses.
#*1724 , (Daniel Defoe), , Penguin p.107:
#*:He sat as one astonish'd, a good-while, looking at me, without speaking a Word, till I came quite up to him, kneel'd on one Knee to him, and almost whether he would or no, kiss'd his Hand.
#*1846 , "A New Sentimental Journey", Blackwoods Magazine , vol.LX, no.372:
#*:If I could fly, I would away to those realms of light and warmth – far, far away in the southern clime.
#Was determined to; loosely, could naturally have been expected to (given the tendencies of someone's character etc.).
#*1835 , (Charles Dickens), (Sketches by Boz) , V:
#*:Then he took to breeding silk-worms, which he would bring in two or three times a day, in little paper boxes, to show the old lady.
#*2009 , "Is the era of free news over?", The Observer ,
#*:The free access model, the media magnate said last week, was "malfunctioning". Well he would , wouldn't he?
(lb) As a modal verb, the subjunctive of will.
#Used to give a conditional or potential "softening" to the present; might, might wish.
#*2008 , Mark Cocker, "Country Diary", The Guardian , 3 November:
#*:It's a piece of old folklore for which I would love to find hard proof.
#Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality (with a bare infinitive); indicating an action or state that is conditional on another.
#*2010 , The Guardian , 26 February:
#*:Warnock admitted it would be the ideal scenario if he received a Carling Cup winners' medal as well as an England call-up.
#
#*1859 , (John Bunyan), (w, The Pilgrim's Progress) ,
#*:I presently wished, would' that I had been in their clothes! '''would''' that I had been born Peter! ' would that I had been born John!
#*1868 , Sir (Walter Scott), (Ivanhoe) , Ch.23:
#*:I would she had retained her original haughtiness of disposition, or that I had a larger share of Front-de-Bœuf's thrice-tempered hardness of heart!
#Used to impart a sense of hesitancy or uncertainty to the present; might be inclined to. Now sometimes colloquially with ironic effect.
#*2009 , Nick Snow, The Rocket's Trail , p.112:
#*:“Those trials are being run by the American army so surely you must have access to the documents?” “Well, yeah, you’d think.”
#*2010 , (Terry Pratchett), "My case for a euthanasia tribunal", The Guardian ,
#*:Departing on schedule with the help of a friendly doctor was quite usual. Does that still apply? It would seem so.
#Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …?
#:
#
#*1608 , (William Shakespeare), (King Lear) , I.4:
#*:What dost thou professe? What would’st thou with vs?
As an adjective well
is wild.As a verb would is
(lb) as a past-tense form of (will) .well
English
(wikipedia well)Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) (m), . Related to (will).Alternative forms
* (dialectal) * (Scotland) *Adverb
266
Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well . Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.}}
Welcome to the plastisphere, passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}
- Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
- That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he is well cool in Scream.
- Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 is well wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf(SIC) them FIFA 2003 is easliy(SIC) the best.
- Hey, you should've seen it, it was well good.
- It boded well to you.
- Know / In measure what the mind may well contain.
- All the world speaks well of you.
Derived terms
* all too well * as well * do well by doing good * full well * fully well * just as well * pretty well * well and truly * well-behaved * well-known * well-mannered * well-padded * well-read * well-usedAdjective
- I had been sick, but now I'm well .
- On leaving the operating table it is well to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.
Derived terms
* full well * get well * * well-beingInterjection
(en interjection)Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=“Well ,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.}}
Derived terms
*Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.
- Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well .
- Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled
- a well of serious thought and pure
- They're having a special tonight: $1 wells .
Derived terms
* ink well * light well (architecture) * oil well * spare tire well, spare tyre well * window well (architecture) * wishing wellEtymology 3
From (etyl) (m). Cognate with German .Verb
(en verb)- [Blood] welled from out the wound.
- [Yon spring] wells softly forth.
- Her eyes welled with tears.
would
English
Alternative forms
* (obsolete)Verb
(head)QPR 2-3 Man City, passage=Toure would have the decisive say though, rising high to power a header past Kenny from Aleksandar Kolarov's cross.}}