would that

would that
would that literary phrase
used for saying that you wish that something were true, especially when you know that it is impossible

Would that all questions were so easy to answer!

Thesaurus: modal verbshyponym ways of saying you are sorry or regret somethingsynonym verb forms and tenseshyponym
Main entry: would

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • would that — or[I would that] or[would God] or[would heaven] {literary} I wish that. Used at the beginning of a sentence expressing a wish; followed by a verb in the subjunctive; found mostly in poetry and older literature. * /Would that I could only drop… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • would that — or[I would that] or[would God] or[would heaven] {literary} I wish that. Used at the beginning of a sentence expressing a wish; followed by a verb in the subjunctive; found mostly in poetry and older literature. * /Would that I could only drop… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • would\ that — • (I) would that • would God • would heaven literary I wish that. Used at the beginning of a sentence expressing a wish; followed by a verb in the subjunctive; found mostly in poetry and older literature. Would that I could only drop everything… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • would that — I wish that …   English contemporary dictionary

  • would that he were still living — I wish that he were still alive …   English contemporary dictionary

  • I\ would\ that — • (I) would that • would God • would heaven literary I wish that. Used at the beginning of a sentence expressing a wish; followed by a verb in the subjunctive; found mostly in poetry and older literature. Would that I could only drop everything… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • would — [ wud ] modal verb *** Would is usually followed by an infinitive without to : A picnic would be nice. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: They didn t do as much as they said they would. In conversation and informal writing,… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • would — W1S1 [wud] modal v negative short form wouldn t ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(past intentions/expectations)¦ 2¦(imagined situations)¦ 3¦(past habits)¦ 4¦(requesting)¦ 5¦(offering/inviting)¦ 6¦(what somebody wants)¦ 7¦(past purpose)¦ 8 would not …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • would — [[t]wəd STRONG wʊd[/t]] ♦ (Would is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. In spoken English, would is often abbreviated to d.) 1) MODAL You use would when you are saying what someone believed, hoped, or expected to happen or be… …   English dictionary

  • Would — Will Will, v. t. & auxiliary. [imp. {Would}. Indic. present, I will (Obs. I wol), thou wilt, he will (Obs. he wol); we, ye, they will.] [OE. willen, imp. wolde; akin to OS. willan, OFries. willa, D. willen, G. wollen, OHG. wollan, wellan, Icel. & …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • would — /wUd/ verb (modal verb) 1 used instead of will to describe what someone has said, asked etc: They said they would meet us at 10.30 at the station. 2 used instead of will with a past tense verb or to show what is likely or possible: What would you …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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