Why does this sentence use "would have?" Why not say "Today is the birthday of our FA Cup winning captain, Jack Nicholas?"
Today would have been the birthday of our FA Cup winning captain, Jack Nicholas
Asked
Active
Viewed 51 times
0
-
You could use it is. It wouldn't be wrong. However, we often use "would have been" in English to speak of someone who is dead. For example: He would have been eighty years old today (if he were still alive). My mother would have been so proud of me (if she were still alive). – Billy Kerr Nov 30 '23 at 13:29
-
@BillyKerr So "would have" is used for an event that didn't happen in the past. Is it correct? I'm kind of confused. – Nyambek Nov 30 '23 at 13:30
-
We can use 'would have been' to discuss a previously scheduled or expected event that did not happen in the past, is not happening in the present, or will not happen in the future. Last Tuesday/today/next Wednesday would have been my wedding day if my fiancée had not run off with the guy at the garage. – Michael Harvey Nov 30 '23 at 13:39
-
To be honest, not really in this case. Although "Would have been" can be used to talk of something in the past or the present which didn't happen, when we use it to speak of someone who is dead, it's a way of recognising their death in an indirect way. It's a bit like a kind of euphemism, i.e. to avoid saying that they are "dead". When you hear it used with a person, it means they are dead. – Billy Kerr Nov 30 '23 at 13:48
-
Does this answer your question? What's the meaning of "would" in this sentence? – FumbleFingers Nov 30 '23 at 14:57
-
You've now asked about a dozen questions on the use of *would, but I can't see that much difference between them. In this case, we wouldn't normally say Today is John's birthday* if John is in fact dead. – FumbleFingers Nov 30 '23 at 14:58
-
@FumbleFingers Thanks. I'm wondering why you don't say We wouldn't normally say ... if John were* in fact dead* in your sentence? – Nyambek Nov 30 '23 at 15:48
-
...or why I didn't say ...if John was* in fact dead. But I personally have probably addressed that point more than a dozen times to you over the last few weeks. In general*, native speakers prefer simpler verb forms, and the subjunctive is a (slowly) dying form anyway. And in this case, the subject died 50 years ago, so he certainly won't / wouldn't be celebrating his birthday this year, regardless of the date! – FumbleFingers Nov 30 '23 at 15:53
1 Answers
0
It depends if he's still alive or not. "Is" is correct if he is alive, if not then "would have been" is correct. "Is" would not be actually incorrect if he was dead, but less usual.
The reason for "would have been" here is clearly and unambiguously to say that he is no longer alive. I haven't actually fact checked whether this is true or not!
timchessish
- 1,733
- 1
- 8