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I was watching Sky News, and I was struck by the following item in the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen: `Over 20 MPs implicated in the expenses scandal`. Straightaway, I wondered about the inclusion of the prefix, `over`. There are about 650 MPs in the British Parliament. Was `over` included in the item to `puff up` the number? How would this have seemed: `Fewer than 25 MPs are implicated…`? It appears a small matter, but shouldn’t a `serious` news organisation know the actual number...

Ladies and Gentlemen: please note that `would` is either the conditional form, or the past tense, of `will`. The latter term denotes something that is bound to happen; the former, something that might have happened, if certain conditions had first been met. In certain instances, `would` can be applied in the subjunctive mood, which is discussed below.

The misuse of the word `would` is rampant amongst Nigerians, and many contributors here in the Square have similarly misapplied the...