conditional vs. future tense

Are Charlie Sheen and his wife, Brooke, expecting a boy? Are they certain of the baby’s gender or is it just a hunch? We can pick up clues about the degree of certainty from the tense of language people use when describing the developing baby.

Two and A Half Men co-star Holland Taylor answered a reporter’s question about the possibility of a boy for the famous father of three daughters. “That would be a trip!” she told People.

She continued, “It will be very interesting to see Charlie with a boy. It’ll bring out a whole other side of him, I’m sure.”

Notice that Taylor began her response in the conditional tense, would. That conveys a lack of certainty. It may happen, it may not. But as she continued, she slipped into the future tense, will, which conveys a certainty. It will happen for sure; it’s just a matter of time. A boy will bring out a new side of him.

One word can reveal it all; perhaps the baby’s gender is known among certain circles.