Conditional sentences of the third type (‹third conditional sentences›)
How it works
Conditional sentences of the third type (‹third conditionals›) are used in English to talk about situations in the past that did not happen and their hypothetical consequences. They consist of two parts: the subordinate clause with ‹if + had + past participle› and the main clause with ‹would have + past participle›. Example: ‹If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.› This structure expresses that the event did not happen, but it could have happened. The third type differs from other conditional sentences because it refers to a past that can no longer be changed.
In the third conditional sentence, the subordinate clause with ‹if› uses the form ‹had + past participle›, and the main clause uses the form ‹would have + past participle›. The order of the parts of the sentence can be reversed, but the tenses stay the same.
An example
Which variant is correct: ‹If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.› or ‹If I would have known about the meeting, I would have attended.›?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: English. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.