eer a Ae) _Subjunctives and Unreal Past; conditionals Entry test 1 For each of the following pairs of sentences, decide a} if both are correct or only one, and b) if ‘they are both correct, do they mean the same? EXAMPLE: If he had agreed, we'd start now. If he were to agree, we'd start now. Both correct; different meaning (one past reference, cone Future reference) a Police are demanding that all cars are searched, Police are demanding that all cars be searched. b Come what may, we'll stil. go out tonight Be that as it may, we'll stil go out tonight, € I'd rather you didn't speak to him like that. I'd rather you hadn't spoken to him like that. Had | got on that plane, | would have been killed IF got on that plane, | would have been killed. € It's getting late: it's time | wasrit here. It's getting late, it’s time | left. FOR SUBWUNCTIVES AND UNREAL PAST, SEE SECTION 1. 2 In each of the following sentences fil the three ‘gaps with one of the words given. You can use some words more than once. Some words you do rot need at all long forgotten had will get weren't better provided drive have are run must a As... as we... there early enough, we get good seats, b ifwe leaving, ta my coat. © wwe don't... Into heavy traffic, we see you at seven. Hf those ...... Marion's keys, she... have them Ityou 50 fast it's not surprising you an accident. FOR LIKELY CONDMONALS, SEE SECTION 2. 3 Complete each of the following sentences in such a way that itis as similar in meaning as possible to the sentence before it a It’s lucky | know you or I'd be deeply offended. IF I'd be deeply offended. b Fortunately, they're on e-mail, otherwise they'd never have received the news in time. Were they'd never have received the news in time. © Could you hold my briefcase so | can move this table? IF you would be move this table, They may change their minds, in which case they'll let us know. Should they'll let us know € | don't think we will, but if we di sell this flat, how much do you think we'd get? were how much do you think we'd get? FOR UNLIELY CONDITIONALS INTHE PRESENT AND FUTURE, 4 Fill each of the gaps with a suitable word or phrase. Even if you have been able to. BI uu Up 50 early this morning If1'd known you weren't coming until after lunch. ¢ If you'd known then what you know now, done? Had o.oo. your timely intervention, they'd have given nearly all their money to that con man. OFF OMY son to my father’s advice, I'd be a successful lawyer by now. help you, | don't think | would FOR PAST CONOMONALS, SEE SECTION 4. c=THE BASICS 1 SUBJUNCTIVES ‘The subjunctive has limited uses in English + The Present subjunctive consists of the infinitive without to in all persons (see Section 1.1) suggest he stop as soon as he becomes tired, + The Past subjunctive exists only in were in all persons ~ I were, he were, we were, etc. (see Section 1.2) She'd doit if she weren’t so shy. (= but she is) 2 UNREAL PAST TENSES Unreal Past tenses, like the Past subjunctive, are used especialy to talk about inapossible, unlikely or hypothetical conditions. We use a Past Simple form to talk about the present and furure, and a Past Perfect form to talk about the past: Towish he wasn’t s0 shy. (= but he is) IF only I hadn't Ustened to you. (= but I did) 3 ZERO, FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD CONDITIONALS, ‘We commonly express a condition using an ifclause ‘with a main clause. Conditional sentences are often categorised as Zero Present + Present Ifyou press this button, the engine stops. First Present + will If she rings this evening, PI let you know. Second Past + would ‘What would you do if you became President? ‘Third Past Perfect + would have IFT hadn’t seen her, she'd have drowned. ‘Note: the Past and Past Perfect in Second and Third conditionals are ‘Unreal’ Pasts. + These are useful patterns to learn when studying conditionals, but they are not the only patterns. In this Unit, conditionals are categorised as: 4 REAL AND UNREAL CONDITIONALS Real conditionals use normal tenses. They refer t0 things we think are true or likely. They include ‘Zero’ and ‘First’ conditionals: If you were working late last might, how come I didn’t sc8 your light on? (= past) If you feel disappointed, thai’s natural. (= present) Ifyou do that again, Tm going to tell mum, (= farure) SSUBJUNCTIVES AND UNREAL PAST; CONDITIONALS Unreal conditionals use Unreal Past tenses. They refer to things we think are untrue or unlikely. They include ‘Second’ and ‘Third’ conditionals: Tt woul be easier if Leeds were on a direct rail link to Oxford. (= present) Ifyou were going to travel to Tibet, when would be the best time to go? (= funute) If Pd listened more carefully to his directions, I wouldn’t have got lost. (= past) 5 FALSE CONDITIONALS Included in real conditionals are what we call false conditionals. ‘These are called ‘false’ because the speaker knows that the condition has already been fulfilled (see Section 2.5): If you don’t like opera, why are you here? If You didn’t Uke the film, you showld have left. 5 locked. Well if that’s the case we'll have to go round the back. 6 ALTERNATIVES TO IF Ifis not the only word we can use to introduce conditionals $0/As long as you promise not to tell, you can come tao. You can drive this car provided / providing (that) you're filly insured, Suppose / Supposing something goes ‘wrong, what then? think I'll accept it, assuming the ‘offer’ still there. Mario can't come with us, even if he is ‘your best friend. If only we'd got there sooner, the ‘accident would never have happened. You car come in ‘on condition that you don’t stay long. Unless Peter changes his attitude, he’s going to find himself in trouble. We'll buy i if and whem our income improves + Unless is close in meaning to ‘if... not’. We can't always use it as an alternative to if not: 1 Heb jee appar wnlene she allied so much, o Tafel happier if she didn’t talk so much. + We often use ifonly without a result clause: If only we'd got there sooner! When and if ‘These words are similar in some languages but very different in English: If Sally comes this evening, we'll alk it over with Iter (= she may come) When Sally comes this evening, we'll talk it over ‘with her. (= she is coming) aGRAMMAR SECTION I Subjunctives and Unreal Past 1 PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE Present subjunctive (see The Basics) used mainly in certain fixed phrases and in formal, impersonal English, In more informal language we commonly ‘use the Present Simple or should. (The examples below give all the alternative forms.) ‘We use Present subjunctive: + in that-clauses after report verbs, adjectives or nouns to express plans, ungency, intentions ot suggestions: ‘The police insisted the car (should) be moved immediately. The police insist the car is be moved immediately. ‘Words often followed by a Present subjunctive are Verbs: insist, suggest, request, onde, recommend, propose, think Adjectives: advisable, essential, desirable, preferable Nouns: decision, insistence, demare, requirement, condition «+ after if (see section 3.4): Ifhe (should) be found / is _found guilty, he'll be jailed for ten years. + after whether: Whether she (should) agree ‘agrees or not, we're going to have to go ahead. * after whatever. Whatever his reasons be /are, they are insufficient to excuse him. + ‘The Present subjunctive is common in particular phrases: Far be it from me... Sobeit. Be that as it may... Suffice it to say... Come what may. Heaven forbid! Long live the Queen. 2 PAST SUBJUNCTIVE ‘We use the Past subjunctive (were in all persons) in formal English. Its meaning is similar to Unreal Past: Ifthe minister were here, he would no doubt refute the ‘+ However, it's more common to use was and were in their usual ways: ‘wish he wasn’t such a bighead. (= informal) + Were is common only in the phrase if I were you, and in the formal conditional pattern were + subject + infinitive: Lowouldn’t argue with her if T were you. Were the vote to go against me, resign. 8 3 UNREAL PAST ‘We use Unreal Past or Past subjunctive to discuss imaginary siruations, to express impossible wishes, and to make proposals and polite requests: « after if when we think it is unlikely or impossible that the condition will be fulfilled: If she were to eat/ate fish more often, she might get to like it + to replace an ifclause when we imagine past, present or future events being different: Had he agreed, he'd have become the team captain. Were he to agree, he'd probably become the next coach. «+ after if only to express regrets and frustration: Ifonly he were / was more adventurous. Ifonly I hadn’t drunk s0 much coffe! (= butt did) + after wish when we are wishing for the virtually impossible. For more reasonable wishes, we commonly use would or couli 1 wish I weren't /wwasn’t having the injection tomorrow: (S burl am) [wish Id listened to you. (= but | didn't) Lowish you wouldn’t shout all the time. + after would rather and would sooner to express preferences: Do you mean you'l sooner I weren't /wasn’t here? Va rather you hadn't spoken so rudely to him. + After as ifand as though we use Present and Present Perfect forms to suggest something is likely to be true, Unreal Past suggests it is unlikely or untrue: The man speaks as if he has / had never heard of the place. He acts as though he owns / owned the place. + after imperative suppose and imagine (Present tense is also possible): Imagine he were to tell you / told you /tells you his ‘mast personal secrets. Suppose she were to have {followed /had followed your advice. (= but she didn't) «after it's time I time I wasn’t here, (Past subjunctive is not possible) Ie time we let. /It's time to leave. ay Which sentence does not contain a Present or Past subjunctive, or Unreal Past tense? I propose that this street be closed to cars. If Lwas in his shoes, I'd give up. I'm suggesting that he reconsider my proposals, Imagine you are going to fall asleep. You talk as if you really meant ipetente: @ Add one of these common phrases to each of the sentences. come what may suffice i to say be that as it may God forbid so be it far be it from me 1 Tf, so.» You were to die, who'd run the business? 2 don't want to explain, ..... Aunt Sarah is coming to stay after all. 3. If you really want to drop out of college, then 4 ons Pim determined to finish decorating my room this weekend. 5 to tell you what to do, but you'd be mad to marry him, 6 “This medicine tastes horrible!” coco it will eure your cough.” @ Fill each of the gaps with one suitable word. (In this exercise, words such as didn’t and weren't count as one word.) Example: Imagine we hvin'¢ met all those years ago! 1 Lean't tell you how much I wish the architect ...... here to see the results of his work 2 It's time you... able to take full responsibility for your own. actions. 3 fhe... s0 selfrighteous, he'd realise he was wrong. 4 Imagine you... completely blind: how would it affect your lifer 5 He looked for all the world as though he... been sleeping in his clothes. 6 really wish 1... always in so much of a hurry these days 7 only she... so impossibly beautiful! 8 [a rather you if you don’t mind. talk so loudly, F Just (1) you Jf) trank you for your emai agree that |) 3) not ewen | itis essential you be fully (1) ss... i : with the facts of the case. They are as Lariat aanlcakieakein follows. tt was agreed six months ago (Benen absolutely that, come what @).....-, the above || | starving and the only residence (3) decorated inside food that (4) sere fand out before the end of June. 7 ‘neti jean hes not happened end my solicitor has |) | gw cf | recommended | (4) with legal | 4 | Tapped zat that yo bction forthwith, [coven DO Way Of May I suggest that you (5) .......... me i pits ae ree a5 2 matter of some urgency. ™ ©) Dear Maria, I'm afraid I've got some bad news. | know we agreed it was advisable ‘that Stavros (1)... the summer holidays with you. Unfortunately ‘my parents have changed their minds and are now insisting he @) ene to Athens t0 stay with Aunt Sotiria. 8)... It t0 say, ‘they are not allowing any discussion! Athens it is, although he really ‘wishes he (4) ‘at least share the period between you and his ‘aunt. Dimos is going to England for the summer. if only life (5) 0 simple forall of us. © complete the second sentence so that it has a similar Ga meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between three and cight words, including the word given. Example: ‘The management want co suspend you without pay. preference "The management's prfiroice is at you be suspended withous pay. 1 Our neighbour talks as Fhe owned half the county, doesn't he? think “To hear our neighbour... county, woulda’t you? 2 What would you do if you couldn't lock afier yourself? incapable Suppose you yourself, what would you do? 3. Itis essential that you tell us everything. importance It's of the ‘be kept fully informed. 4 If they reject her appeal, she'll lose all her insurance claims. down Should her appeal Jose all her insurance claims. 5 Are you saying you don’t want me here? sooner Are you saying here? 83GRAMMAR SECTION 2 Real conditionals in the past, present and future 4 VERB FORMS IN THE IF-CLAUSE Present or future ‘To talk about conditions in the present or furure that ‘we think are likely to happen, we use Present tenses ‘or modals. This is the most common form of conditional sentence: [fhe comes into the room, don't mention the party this evening. Can [eave early today? If you must. + To talk about the future, we can also use be going toin the ifclause. Even if we're not going to go swimming, we'd still better take a towel. * Can for ability is also common in ificlauses: Assurning you ean leave work early, we'll be able to make the 6.30 performance Past “To talk about events in the past, we can use Present Perfect or Past Simple / Continuous. ‘This suggests that either we are not sure if something happened, ‘or We are assuming it did and want to draw a conclusion from it (see The Basics for false conditionals, and sce Section 4 for unreal conditionals in the past) If he’s ead that report, hel know what al the fas is about: If you've been telling the truth, we need to act quickly. Provided that she eaught her flight, she'l be landing any moment now. 2 WILL/ WON'T IN THE IF-CLAUSE We sometimes use will and won’ in the ifclause with the meanings of refusal (wow), polite request (wil), ‘or to express annoyance at someone's insistence on doing something (wil If he won't go, there is nothing you care do about. (= refusal) Ifyou'll hold this end, 1 take the other one E request) If you will drive so fast, you must expect to have accidents, (= insistence) ‘Apart from the meanings above, we don't normally. ‘use will in ifclauses to indicate the future: ia wall, Ifthe weather is fine tomorrow, we can go for @ walk. 3 VERB FORMS IN THE MAIN CLAUSE Verb forms in the main clause follow the normal rules for tense and modal use, Some of the most common are: Present to indicate certainty of the result: Simple Ifyou mix blue and re, you get purple. will to predict future events, make promises, etc: Provided I see him, PM tell him. will have to predict what will have already happened: ‘The train will have left if we don't hurry. can to express ability, permission, etc: You can da it that way if you like, but 1 wouldn't recommend it be going to for predictions or intentions: If you do that again, I'm going to leave. 4 MIXING TIME REFERENCES It is sometimes possible to have an ifclause referring to the present of furure, and a main clause referring to the past, especially with must have and can't have for deductions If he's here already, he must have set off very early. 5 FALSE CONDITIONALS False conditionals (see The Basics) often mix time references: 1 don’t eat red meat. Wel, if that’s a problem we have to find another restaurant. rs ‘Tick (/) the sentence that is incorrect. 1 We'd better get ready if he's coming round soon. 2 If have to, 'm going to tell him what I think of him. 3 Ifthe film will be uninteresting, we can leave before the end, If you don’t understand, why didn’t you ask me? If you'll just wait a moment, I'll see f he’s i,| Practice ‘@ tn cach of the following sentences, cross out any of the underlined verb forms that we cannot use. 1 Ifyou leave / will eave your things lying around, you shouldn't be surprised if you lose / will lose them. 2 you wait/ wall wait heze a moment, ll tell Me Brown you're here ~ assuming he's / will be in. 3. [you trust / will trust me, I take / will take the money to him, providing you have / will have it with you now. 4 [f the unit fics / will fir in the corner there, I think it is / will be the best place, unless you can / will think of anywhere else. If you help /will help me work out whether we need to make another order at the moment, I spend / will spend some time tomorrow helping you with your statistics, if you like / will like. ‘© Either two or all three of the main clauses (2c) can complete the sentences (1-5). Put a cross (%) next to those that cannot. 1 Dothat again and a I'm leaving. Tean't help you. you would be sorry. ‘ell him about che meeting ‘will you give him a message from me? dhe can’t be a complete recluse. 3. If the boss is feeling wwe all feel the same way. b c 2 Assuming you're going a ’ c a relaxed, b the inspection will go all right. « b . b a to see him, it would be a bad sign. he'll probably have acquired an accent. 1 think you should go there. he would certainly go to New Zealand. ‘you hadn't been following, ‘you can't have been concentrating, it’s clear you weren't listening, you've got to expect people to gossip about you. b people are gossiping about you. € you can't expect others not to gossip about you, 4 IfPaul’s been to Australia, 5 you're still not sure, 6 Ifyou will gossip about other people, © Match the beginnings (1-8) with the second halves (a-h) to make complete sentences. If you've seen it, If you enjoyed itso much, Ifyou don't want to see it, Ifyou havent seen it, If was that bad, It won all those awards, ait can’t be as bad as that, bhow come you know how it ends. why were you asleep at the end? dif'm not sure I would, fe why don’t you remember who's in it? f you must have heand something bad about it Ifyou like slapstick comedy, _g why didn’t you walk out? 8 Even if you enjoyed it, hithis isthe film for you. complete the second sentence so that Gass it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between three and eight words, including the word given, 1 Assuming everything goes according to plan, we'll be there by six o'clock. wrong Unless o'dock. 2. The Finn is almost certain to win, unless his engine blows out during the race. lose ‘The only way the Finn a blow-out during the race. later than six 3. Giving him your number suggests you did want to see him again. desire ‘Why give him your number see him again? 4 There's clearly nothing 1 can do to stop you leaving. determined if anything I can do to stop you. 5 You can borrow my car for your holiday if you arrange a service afterwards, condition You can borrow my car for your holiday... serviced afterwards, 6 Your dinner’s in the oven. want Hho the oven. 7 if you've innocent, what have you got to be affaid of? ‘wrong Ifyou @ Ifyou mean to be as bad- tempered as ths all afternoon, there's no point in playing. going What's the point ‘mood all afternoon? nothing to fear. in this 8GRAMMAR SECTION 3 Unreal conditionals in the present and future 1 VERB FORMS IN THE /F-CLAUSE Present When we talk about unlikely or impossible situations in the present, we use Past subjunctive or Unreal ast (sce Section 1) in the iflause to indicate that the opposite is true: If didn’t know you so well,’ say you were lying (= bur I do know you well) Ifonly he weren’t so stubborn, he'd agree with us, (= but he is stubborn) Future When talking about the furure, we use an Unreal Past tense in the ifclause to indicate that we are talking hypothetically and think the condition is unlikely to be fulfilled: Ifyou told him, he'd never believe you. (=I don't think, you will ell him Suppose your car broke down, what would you do? 2 VERB FORMS IN THE MAIN CLAUSE We commonly use would and could in the main cause when there is an Unreal Past or Past subjunctive in the iflause: If L weren't so busy, Pd take a long holiday. IF you lent me £10, I could buy it today. + We also use might: She might stay longer if you asked her nicely. 3 WOULD IN /F-CLAUSES We use would and wouldn't in ifclauses for polite requests and to express strong Wishes that someone ‘would do something: Ifyou would be kind enowgh to lend me a hand, we could finish this very quickly. Ifyou would just calm. down for a moment, you'd see what I'm talking about. CEUs We don't use would in ifclauses to indicate simple future: x : think you'd be mad if you gave up your job 86 4 SHOULD IN IF-CLAUSES We can use should in ifclauses instead of a Present or Unreal Past (sce Section 1.1). It suggests that the condition is possible but unlikely. We use will oF ‘would or other modals in the main clause: Ifthey should agree the contract, we'd have to work twice as hard. + ‘This structure is formal and roughly equivalent to the phrase by any chance: If by any chance they do turn wp, we'd better tell them ‘what happened. + In more formal contexts we can also omit ifor other conditional words and start the sentence with Should: ‘Should you change your mind, please let me know. 5 IF ... ARE TO/ WERE TO We use be to in a fairly formal way to express conditions. It suggests that the speaker has no influence over whether the condition will be fulfilled or not. Are to, am to and is to suggest the condition may be fulfilled. Were to (or, informally, was to) emphasises that the condition is very unlikely: If we are to get rid of hin, who will tell him? Supposing you were to win the lottery, how would you spend the money? ‘+ We can omit ifor other conditional words and start the sentence with Were: Were we to take on more staf, hove could we afford to pay them? This is not possible with are Gee Which of the following sentences refer to conditions in the present, and which to the future? present future 1. Ifyou asked him nicely, he'd let you have the day off. Ll nif 2 Ifyou were a bit more considerate, you'd offer mea seat. 3. Should you change your job, ‘what would you do? E 4. If were to say what I really think, 'd upset alot of people. = 5 If thought he was dishonest, I wouldn't have offered him the job. i ood okx = @ Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the new beginning and the two other prompt words. Do not change the given words. Example: I don't know if we're late because I don't have a watch. IFT had a wateh, i know whether we were late hhad/whether 1 T think you should formally complain to the manager TE ons Were/complaint 2. Supposing we do go ahead with the building, it can’t be before June. IEwe are will earliest 3 Should anything happen to make you change your rind, let me know. Ifby chance /might 4 Supposing the world was going to end tomorrow, ‘what would you do tonight? Were the world about/spend 5. I think not having school on Mondays sounds like ‘quite a good idea. Vithink ic might/bewer 6 Nico’s useless at maths so he can't become an accountant. Were better/able © Fill cach of the blanks with a suitable word or phrase. 1 If this scheme pull their weight. 2 Your brakes are making an odd noise; 1. to if were you. 3 Supposing someone told you that you weren't fit to do your job, ... react? 4 Considering his age and the seriousness of the ‘operation, it would be a... survived it 5 Should you ever... of a helping hand, remember where | am. 6 Ifthat wisdom tooth is giving you trouble, I out. 7 Ifby any... into Mrs Hebden while you're out, could you give her this note? 8 Ifwe ...... Friday deadline, some overtime may be necessary. ground, everyone will have to Imagine you were to vin she lottery ~ hat would yeu dé? © Match a sentence from the left (1-8) with a response on the right (a-h). Example: 0 + | (@ Would it be all right if ‘we sat here?) Yes, please do.) 1 Would you mind ifthey a Ifonly he would. came along? b I suppose itis. 2 Would you like me to ¢ OF course I will. give you a hand? I'd rather they 3 Do you feel it might be didn’t. best if I said yes? e [ think it would, 4 Could you let me know I'm sure you would, if you change your mind? _g Perhaps i would. 5 You'd feel better if you —-h Oh, if you would, ‘got some fresh air. 6 Don't you think it’s time ‘we were leaving? 7 Do you reckon he'll leave? 8 I would if I could, you know. Q Fill each of the numbered blanks with one suitable word. aD In accordance with your recent request, we are pleased to SUpply the folowing reference, Miss Baioct (1) ..uay 1 ‘am sure, be a real asst to your organisation, knowing as she does a great deal about the way a company such as yours operates. There are very few duties here that 1 ‘ould (2)... confident entrust her with, and if she TE (3) es fl YOU YOU (4) nn, $00 COME 10 (5) snes het organisational and interpersonal skills. fit (6) ron DOK ear that she (7). deterttined to ‘move away from this area, we would (8) everything We (9)... 0 Keep her here. Assuming we (10) on 1 Hse hep 1 (11) a Be happy to know that she (12) one Being taken on by a company with a Teputation such as you enjoy. (13) un. any further Information be (14) .enoy (15) noon Be happy 0 supplyGRAMMAR SECTION 4 Unreal Past conditionals 4 VERB FORMS IN THE IF-CLAUSE ‘We use an Unreal Past Perfect in the iflause when ‘we are thinking about how things might have been different. This is sometimes called the “Third” conditional: If she'd known my number, she would have phoned. (& but she didn’t know it) IfThadn't been standing outside the supermarket, we might never have met. ‘We can omit ifand start with Had: Had I believed her for one moment, I wouldn't have refused to help. ‘+ Sometimes, we can talk about something that is generally true, now and in the past, but which had results only in the past. We use tenses like this: If L wasn’t / weren't such an idiot, I wouldn't have done that. Wf it hadn't been for ‘This phrase means ‘without her, your, ete. help, interference, etc.’ Ifit hadn't been for you, we'd never have got there on time, Had it not been for Wagner, modern classical music would sound very different. ‘We can use the phrase [fit weren't / wasn’t for. to refer to the present, though if the time reference is clear, it can occasionally refer to the past: If it wasn’t for the parking problem, I'd drive to work, If it wasn’t for/hadn’t been for those delays on the ‘motorway we'd never have missed the wedding, Were In formal English we can use conditional structures beginning with Were + Perfect infinitive: Were you to have stopped and considered, you'd have seen the eror of your ways. 2 VERB FORMS IN THE MAIN CLAUSE For Past conditionals that have results in the past, we ruse modal Perfects (would ‘could / might have, etc.) in the main clause: ‘Had you told me earlier, I could have done something about it. + For Past conditionals that have results in the present or furure, we commonly use would, could ‘or might: 88 If you'd listened more carefully to his directions, you ‘wouldn't be lost now. Ifonly Td entered polities earlier, [could be Prime Minister now. If you were in the area, why didn’t you come and visit? 3 WOULD HAVE ... WOULD HAVE ‘The use of would have in both if'clause and main clause is becoming very common in spoken and even ‘written English. It's still considered incorrect by some people: If Td have known how expensive it was, I wouldn't hhave gone, It’s sometimes difficult to heat Past conditionals spoken at speed because of short forms: Pave come at once if only you'd rang me. 4 PAST CONDITIONALS WITHOUT CONDITIONAL WORDS, We often use a Past conditional structure without ‘using a conventional ‘conditional word’ like if or unless. The condition is understood: if things hed been diferene But for your help, we'd never have managed ‘Weld have been completely last without you. You should have come ~ you'd have loved it. ‘The film would have Been just as effective in black and white ae ‘Tick (7) the sentence that has both an ifclause and a main clause which refer to the past. 1 If I wasn't so tired all the time, I wouldn't have made such an elementary mistake. 2. Ifyou had driven faster, we'd be there by now. 3 I'd have rung you if I'd known you were at home. 4 [wouldn't be going to London if you hadn't told me about the exhibition, 5 Ifyou were right about the weather, we're going, to get wetUNREAL PAST CONDITIONALS Ezra - @Fill cach of the numbered blanks in the passage with one © For cach of the following sentences, say whether a orb, orboth, Wort . ‘ean complete the sentence. Tick (V) any that we can use, put a "You want a cat... All right, I said ‘ross (X) for any that we cannot use. ames Oe Example: If President Kennedy hadn't been assassinated in 1963, 8 eae eare eaceer a the Cold War might have ended sooner. Gear up afer it’P() Thad b America will be very different. stuck to these conditions! The 1 Ifithadn't been for the a weld have spent more time sailing. Snimal is never fed (5)... [doit awful weather, we would go there again. (© oo. for me, it would (7) 2 IY realised you aT wouldn't be so angry. starved to death months ago. ‘weren't coming, ‘b I can do something, 8) I known that the children’s 3 fhe had told you a you wouldn't have done what you did. interest in the beast would wane as the truth, 'b you wouldn't be in this predicament. goon as it arrived, [ (9)... have 4 fit wasnt for the a. Id easily have got permission. answered differently, The poor thing endless bureaucracy, Bb T'd try again. is ignored by them, (10) ifit 5 Had they explained a. they're stupid springs on to their laps. (1) their reasons, you'd understand. to kidnap the thing, I don’t think © Fill each of the blanks with a suitable word or phrase. an inact Pe Bvample Ifyou had been in my shoes, what would yu have done? eee, 1 If... for the postal strike, the cheque would have arrived today. why on earth didnt they (14) 2 In those days you would have been breaking ..... 1D card on you at Yo before? (15)... the question of all times, a dog ever arise, I think I've got my 3 Had we... misinformed about the bus times, we wouldn't have answer ready. been late 4 In retrospect you might .... advised to get a lawyer, 5 IFloannis stayed that long at the party, ..... been having a good time. 6 But... fre alarm alerting us, the building would have gone up in flames. © Write sentences that are a part of a chain, as in the examples. Examples: | cheated from him in the entry test. We finished up in the same class. If | hadn't cheated from him in the entry test, we wouldn't have finished up in the same class We used to do our homework together, If we hadn't finshed up in the same dass, we wouldn't have done our hromewark tagether 1 We started to find out quite a lot about each other, (Begin: If we... homework together, ..) We discovered that we had 2 lot in common, He invited me to go to the National Gallery. We saw the most incredible paintings. ma true artlover now. I went to the National Gallery again yesterday. L met another art-over there. Tm going out to dinner tonight I didn’t phone you. You haven't warned me yet about going out with art-lovers, 89