5.5.3: Past Unreal (Third) Conditional
- Page ID
- 274394
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Tense Structure
Conditional Tense Structure
| HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE |
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In a past unreal (untrue) conditional structure, the verb in the condition statement, the clause after if, takes the form of a past perfect verb. |
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If Jack had seen the iceberg, |
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If Rose had known it, |
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If Molly had talked any longer, |
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If Cal had been a better man, |
| MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE |
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The verb in the effect-clause, the main clause, takes the form of would have, could have, should have , or might have + participle. |
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he would have told the captain. |
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she could have left him earlier. |
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she would have put everyone to sleep. |
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he might have acted in a kinder manner. |
Past Unreal (Third) Conditional (hypothetical)
Punctuation
| INITIAL CLAUSE POSITION |
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If we had known the movie was long, we would have gotten some popcorn. |
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If we had gotten here earlier, we could have found better seats. |
A comma separates the condition, a prepositional phrase headed by if, from the main clause when it is placed before the main clause.| FINAL CLAUSE POSITION |
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We would have gotten some popcorn if we had known the movie was long. |
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We could have found better seats if we had gotten here earlier. |
No comma is used when the "if clause" is placed after the main clause.