UNREAL CONDITIONALS
SECOND CONDITIONAL If would + subj + past simple, subj + vb- base form Unless could/might
Conditional II (present/future – impossible) When something is NOT possible now, or in the future. Example: If he spoke Chinese, he would work as a guide in China. (Fact: He doesn’t speak Chinese, so it’s impossible.)
“To be” is always “were” Example: If he were here, he would do it. (Fact: He’s not here, so it’s impossible.) You can drop the “if” by moving the “were” to the front. Example: Were he here, he would do it.
What would you do if you found £ in a bag in the street? I would kept the money. I would take the money to the police station. I take the money to the police station but I would keep a small amount, say £500. What would you do if you knew your best friend's husband / wife had a secret lover? I'd tell my friend about it. I talk to my best friend's husband / wife. I wouldn't anything. Choose grammatically correct one Discuss
What would you do if you knew someone you worked with had an alcohol problem? It depends on what job he / she did. I would have told my boss. I wouldn't tell my boss. What would you say if your friend asked you if you liked her dress but you thought it was horrible? I'd have told her it was horrible and she looked like a sack of potatoes. It would depend if there was time to do anything about it. I say she looks great.
THIRD CONDITIONAL If would have + subj + past perfect, subj + participle Unless could/might have
Conditional III (past – impossible) “Making believe” about the past, assuming something that wasn’t true Example: If we had studied, we would have passed the exam. (Fact: We didn’t study and we didn’t pass the exam.)
You can drop the “if” by moving the “had” to the front. Example: If he had been there, we would have done it. Had he been there, we would have done it. Be careful !! Although you are starting with a “little verb”, this is not a question !!
The four words that NEVER (well, almost never) appear in the IF clause are: will, won’t, would, wouldn’t