Will and Want
2021-10-23
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Hello! Today's question for Ask a Teacher comes from Ademir in Brazil.
2When can I use "will" with the same meaning of "want?" When are the two words interchangeable? Thanks,
3Dear Ademir,
4Thank you for writing to us.
5It is easy to understand why you have this question.
6Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary uses "want" in one of the meanings it gives for "will," saying it means "to want or desire (something)."
7There are three different ways we use the verb "will."
8Let us look at those one by one.
9First, you should understand that we have a special kind of verb called a modal verb.
10These "helping" verbs include can, could, shall, should, ought to, will and would.
11When we use "will" in this way, it means that something is expected to happen.
12The train will leave at nine o'clock.
13Second, when the verb stands alone it means to want or desire something.
14Here is an example:
15You can say what you will, but my yellow car is beautiful to me.
16In that case, you may use the verb "want" and have the same meaning.
17You can say what you want, but my car is beautiful to me.
18The only difference here between "will and "want" is that we often add "to" after "want" as in:
19You can say what you want to about my car, I still love it!
20A third meaning of the verb "will" is "to cause or try to cause (something) to happen by using the power of your mind."
21Here is an example:
22The student willed the clock to move faster toward the end of class.
23As in the earlier case, you might be able to use "want" in these sentences, but it would change the meaning a little and sound less forceful.
24Finally, we can use "will" to talk about leaving our property to others when we die.
25That is a legal term, as in:
26She willed the family jewels to her only child.
27In that case, you could not substitute "want" unless you added another verb, as in this example:
28She wanted to will the family jewels to her only child.
29I hope this makes the difference clear to you, Ademir.
30What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
31And that's Ask a Teacher.
32I'm Jill Robbins.
1Hello! Today's question for Ask a Teacher comes from Ademir in Brazil. 2Question: 3When can I use "will" with the same meaning of "want?" When are the two words interchangeable? Thanks, 4Ademir, Brazil. 5Answer: 6Dear Ademir, 7Thank you for writing to us. It is easy to understand why you have this question. Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary uses "want" in one of the meanings it gives for "will," saying it means "to want or desire (something)." There are three different ways we use the verb "will." Let us look at those one by one. 8Modal verb 'will' 9First, you should understand that we have a special kind of verb called a modal verb. These "helping" verbs include can, could, shall, should, ought to, will and would. When we use "will" in this way, it means that something is expected to happen. 10The train will leave at nine o'clock. 11Will as a desire 12Second, when the verb stands alone it means to want or desire something. Here is an example: 13You can say what you will, but my yellow car is beautiful to me. 14In that case, you may use the verb "want" and have the same meaning. 15You can say what you want, but my car is beautiful to me. 16The only difference here between "will and "want" is that we often add "to" after "want" as in: 17You can say what you want to about my car, I still love it! 18Using mental force 19A third meaning of the verb "will" is "to cause or try to cause (something) to happen by using the power of your mind." Here is an example: 20The student willed the clock to move faster toward the end of class. 21As in the earlier case, you might be able to use "want" in these sentences, but it would change the meaning a little and sound less forceful. 22Giving property in a will 23Finally, we can use "will" to talk about leaving our property to others when we die. That is a legal term, as in: 24She willed the family jewels to her only child. 25In that case, you could not substitute "want" unless you added another verb, as in this example: 26She wanted to will the family jewels to her only child. 27I hope this makes the difference clear to you, Ademir. 28What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 29And that's Ask a Teacher. 30I'm Jill Robbins. 31Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 32_______________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34dictionary - n. a book or website that gives the meanings of words 35Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.