Page 264 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

unreal past If A had happened, B would have happened.

We can use if to talk about unreal past ( events - things that didn't happen.
We use the past perfect and would have + past participle.

IF+ PAST PERFECT WOULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
If the weather had been better, we would have gone to the sea. (But it wasn't, so we didn't.)
If you had asked me, 1would have helped you. (But you didn't, so 1didn't.)

If Mary had seen you, what would you have said? (But she didn't.)
If she hadn't gone skiing, she wouldn't have fallen and broken her leg. (But she did.)
o Put in the correct verb forms.

1 If I ............................................. here yesterday, I would have come to see you. (be)

2 If Joe.............................................harder, he would have passed his exams, (work)
3 If you.............................................a map with you, you wouldn't have got lost, (take)
4 We would have won the game if w e.............................................so badly, (not play)

5 If I had gone to university, I ...............................................medicine and become a doctor, (study)
6 .............................................you................................................ if you had driven more slowly? (crash)
7 You............................................. badly if you hadn't drunk all that coffee, (not sleep)
8 If you.............................................on holiday with us, you................................................a wonderful
time, (come; have)
9 If my car..............................................I ............................................... here at 8 o'clock.
(not break down; be)

10 ............................................. you..............................................harder at school last year if you
.............................................. the teachers? (study; like)
11 She............................................. married if she...............................................to leave home.
(not get; not want)
12 ............................................. you.............................................. me if I ................................................you?
(help; ask)

Q Getting up early is bad for you. Read the text in the box and make sentences.

get up early —► catch the 8.15 train —► sit by a beautiful foreign woman

—► fall in love and marry her —► go to live in her country — work in her father's diamond business
—► become very rich —► go into politics —► die in a revolution

t-f i bad 0 ot u.£ ta r l i j, I would havccnucght t h e s . ± 5 't r a lv c .
1 If I had caught........................................................................................................................................

2
and married her.

3

4

5

6

7

In some answers, both contracted forms (for example I'm, don't) and full IF 249
forms (for example lam, do not) are possible. Normally both are correct.