TextRanch

The best way to perfect your writing.

Discover why 1,062,726 users count on TextRanch to get their English corrected!

1. Input your text below.
2. Get it corrected in a few minutes by our editors.
3. Improve your English!

One of our experts will correct your English.

Our experts

would not happen vs would not have happened

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Would not happen' is used to talk about hypothetical events that will not occur if a condition is met, while 'would not have happened' is used to refer to past events that did occur. Therefore, the choice between the two depends on whether you are discussing a hypothetical or past situation.
Vince profile picture

Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: October 26, 2024 • 12855 views

would not happen

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express the unlikelihood of future events.

This phrase is used to talk about events in the future that are not expected to occur. It indicates a hypothetical situation where something is unlikely to happen.

Examples:

  • If you keep procrastinating, success would not happen.
  • Without proper planning, a disaster would not happen.
  • Sep 2, 2016 ... I swore it would not happen to me … it did. From ages 20-40 I was on the same insane journey of drugs including alcohol, bad, violent ...
  • Sep 13, 2019 ... The premise of the series would not happen if Harvey did this: I first watched the series two years ago. I loved the pilot and then watched ...
  • May 13, 2020 ... It Would Not Happen To My Son. It would not happen to my son. And that is what I must acknowledge. In January of 2010, my husband and I ...
  • Sep 18, 2024 ... 212 votes, 44 comments. Apologies for the blurry pictures but Snowie was NOT happy with me existing near her babies Snowie decided to set on ...
  • Oct 12, 2018 ... Is it true that Lenin believed that the revolution would not happen within his lifetime? I've heard of claimed that Lenin told a group of ...
  • Oct 4, 2024 ... 745 likes, 141 comments - nmalliotakis on October 4, 2024: "1. This would NOT happen under President Trump. 2. I voted to impeach Mayorkas ...
  • Apr 14, 2012 ... It did re-install all my drivers I had previously, this would not happen if I moved to different hardware. . Share. Share a link to this ...
  • Of course, we understood that there was a threat of a possible invasion but, until the end, we hoped that this would not happen. Back in December, my ...
  • May 13, 2014 ... No thing which is bad would not happen. The idiom is common in English as well. Often it's expressed either way, it's ok, or either way ...

Alternatives:

  • will not happen
  • is not going to happen
  • won't occur
  • is unlikely to happen
  • is improbable

would not have happened

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to past events that did not occur.

This phrase is used to talk about events in the past that were unlikely to occur or did not happen. It is often used in hypothetical or counterfactual statements about the past.

Examples:

  • If you had not warned us, a disaster would not have happened.
  • If she had taken a different route, the accident would not have happened.
  • Sep 27, 2020 ... The whole game would not have happened then. Meme. r/MinecraftDungeons - a book with a red cover.
  • Jan 14, 2014 ... Therefore, you can say either: "It would not have happened" or "It wouldn't have happened" if not stressed. Yet, if you put emphasis on "not ...
  • Oct 20, 2024 ... ... would not have happened" ... What's the logical fallacy that goes like, "If this person were X, then event Y would not have happened"?
  • Jan 4, 2024 ... ... The Iraq war, which also eventually led to isis, would not have happened. That's much more important. Upvote 1. Downvote Reply reply
  • Jul 5, 2014 ... That would not have happened if John had completed his work. That would have not happened if John had completed his work. The former seems ...
  • Aug 6, 2023 ... kevinlimagic on August 6, 2023: "@agt would not have happened if it were not for my love @raquel.olsson Many of my late-night ideation ...
  • Nov 7, 2014 ... Would not have happened is past conditional tense and we use it in If clauses (If conditional)grammar third case... If I had arrived (past ...
  • Apr 27, 2023 ... Deadly drought in the Horn of Africa “would not have [happened] at all” without human-caused climate change, an analysis says.
  • Mar 1, 2024 ... This Would Not Have Happened If We Were Educated on Blood Clots: Leah's Story. #Birth control #Fatality #PE #Surgery #Woman. This Would Not ...

Alternatives:

  • did not happen
  • had not occurred
  • was unlikely to happen
  • was improbable
  • was not going to happen

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9TextRanch on TrustPilot).

Why choose TextRanch?

Lowest prices
Up to 50% lower than other online editing sites.

Fastest Times
Our team of editors is working for you 24/7.

Qualified Editors
Native English experts for UK or US English.

Top Customer Service
We are here to help. Satisfaction guaranteed!