Question

Fill in the blank using an appropriate form of verb:

I used to live next to a railway line. Whenever a train went past, the house _____ shake.

• A. will
• B. would
• C. may
• D. can

Answer 1

The correct option is B would

Modal Verbs show us the attitude of the speaker to what is being said or done. The term "modal" means expressing mood and mood is a way to express the attitude of the speaker.

The given sentence is firstly set in past tense and secondly according to the meaning of the sentence it expects an uncertainty in future action.

Option B is the correct answer because it expresses uncertainty of will that may happen in the future, therefore the mood fits appropriately in the given sentence.

Whereas option A expresses certainty in future action;

option C expresses possibility;

option D expresses ability.