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Third Conditional
There are 10 questions in this quiz. Choose the correct answer.
1. Which words CANNOT go in the space?
We ____ have won the game if we’d played a little better.
can
would
might
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Third Conditional
Use:
Use the third conditional to talk about past events. Use it to describe what could have happened (event ‘b’) as
a result of something else (event ‘a’). However, neither event a nor event b happened. Therefore the third
conditional describes hypothetical, imaginary situations.
If I had been at home yesterday, I’d have got your phone call.
(But, I was not at home, and I didn’t receive your call.)
The third conditional is often used to criticise:
If you had worked harder, you wouldn’t have failed the test.
(But you didn’t work hard and you failed the test).
Or it can be used to express regret:
If I hadn’t spent all my money, I could’ve bought a computer.
(But I spend all my money and I couldn’t buy a computer).
Or it can be used to express relief:
If I we’d taken that route, we’d have been stuck in the traffic jam for hours!
(But we didn’t take that route, and we didn’t get stuck)
Form:
a) Make the third conditional structure this way:
would have
would’ve
If past perfect , past participle
‘d have
(had + past participle)
wouldn’t have
(hadn’t + past participle)
EVENT A EVENT B
If you’d told me that Anna had put on weight, I wouldn’t have congratulated her on becoming pregnant.
Or:
I / you / he / she / we would have past perfect
/ it / they would’ve (had + past participle)
past participle if
‘d have (hadn’t + past participle)
wouldn’t have
EVENT B EVENT A
Jim wouldn’t have made those mistakes if you had trained him properly.
b) You can also use may have / may not have, might have / might not have or could have / couldn’t have
to describe less certain possibilities rather than certain consequences.
You might have had an accident if you’d driven home in the snow last night.
c) Sometimes the if clause is implied but not spoken.
‘I’d have helped.’
means ‘I’d have helped if you’d asked me.’
‘I wouldn’t have said that.’
means ‘I wouldn’t have said that if I’d been there.’
Common Mistakes
Some students write would after if. Would does not go in the If clause, it goes in the other clause.
If I would have seen Sally, I’d have told her the news. → If I had seen Sally, I’d have told her the
news.
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B1 Grammar topics
Alternative comparison (B1_alternative_comparison.htm) 6/10
Both, either, neither (b1_both_either_neither.htm)
Conditional, 2nd (B1_second_conditional.htm)
Conditional, 3rd (B1_3rd_conditional.htm)
Connecting words (b1_connectors.htm)
Embedded questions (b1_questions.htm)
Future Continuous (b1_future_continuous.htm)
So, such, too, enough (b1_intensifiers.htm)
May, might + adverbs of probability (b1_may_might.htm)
Modals for Recommendations (b1_modals_recommendations.htm)
Modals for Past Deduction (b1_past_modals.htm)
Modals for Present Deduction (B1_present_modals_of_deduction.htm)
Prepositions of place (b1_prepositions_of_place.htm)
Prepositions of time (b1_prepositions_of_time.htm)
Present Perfect Continuous (B1_presperf_continuous.htm)
Present Perfect vs Past Simple (b1_presentperfect_pastsimple.htm)
Passives (B1_simple_passives.htm)
Past Perfect (B1_past_perfect.htm)
Reported Speech (B1_reported_speech.htm)
Question Tags (B1_question_tags.htm)
Should have (B1_should_have.htm)
Grammar
A1 Grammar topics (a1_grammar.html)
A2 Grammar topics (a2_grammar.html)
B1 Grammar topics (b1_grammar.html)
B2 Grammar topics (b2_grammar.html)
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Grammar by CEF Level (../CEFR/cefr_grammar.htm)
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Mobile grammar App (../mobile/english_grammar_mobile_app.htm)
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