View Full Version : future in the past:would arrive soon/ would be arriving soon
jesus
07-11-2008, 04:22 AM
Hello.
What is the difference in meaning if we use would arrive / would be arriving like future in the past?
- Our computer was broken and we hoped the new one would arrive / would be arriving soon.
Thanks.
Hello.
What is the difference in meaning if we use would arrive / would be arriving like future in the past?
- Our computer was broken and we hoped the new one would arrive / would be arriving soon.
Thanks.
Both sound correct, and I can't think of any real difference in meaning. Maybe the progressive aspect seems a little less formal; I might expect more to hear that version spoken, and the simple tense might be more common in formal writing. But I really think the 2 versions mean the same thing in this case.
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