Choose the best completion for each advanced conditional sentence.
1Had the regulator acted sooner, the breach ............... before customer data was exposed.
Wrong!
The inverted third conditional and the past result require "would have been contained".
2Were the proposal to be rejected tomorrow, the coalition ............... a revised version before the recess.
Wrong!
The remote future condition introduced by "Were ... to" takes the hypothetical result "would need to submit".
3The originals were destroyed in 2022; if the archive ............... before the flood, the researchers would still have access to the records.
Wrong!
The unreal condition precedes the 2022 flood, so the mixed conditional requires "had been digitised".
4Had it not been for the volunteers’ legal advice, the residents ............... the appeal deadline last Friday.
Wrong!
The inverted past counterfactual and last Friday’s deadline require the perfect result "would have missed".
5Without the last-minute extension, applicants ............... enough time to obtain the required references before applications closed yesterday.
Wrong!
The extension occurred before applications closed yesterday, so its counterfactual past result is "would not have had".
6Should the data ............... the initial findings, the team will publish the results next month.
Wrong!
In an inverted conditional beginning with "Should", the subject is followed by the base form "corroborate".
7If the witness ............... more precise in her initial statement, the inquiry might not still be trying to reconcile the two accounts.
Wrong!
The precision was lacking in a past statement, while the consequence continues now, so "had been" forms a mixed conditional.
8Even if the negotiations ............... later tonight, implementation would still require parliamentary approval.
Wrong!
The remote possibility concerns later tonight, so the future-oriented passive form is "were to be concluded".
9If the committee had intended to postpone the vote, it ............... members before they travelled to London.
Wrong!
The notification would have preceded the members’ past journey, requiring the conditional perfect "would have notified".
10Had the train not been delayed, we ............... the connection and would now be in Glasgow.
Wrong!
The unreal past condition has both a past and a present consequence, so the first result is "would have caught".
11Were any participant ............... a conflict of interest after the hearing had begun, the panel would have to reconsider its decision.
Wrong!
The inverted remote conditional follows the pattern "Were + subject + to-infinitive", giving "to disclose".
12Only if both chambers approve the amendment ............... legal force.
Wrong!
A clause beginning with restrictive "Only if" triggers subject–auxiliary inversion in the result clause: "will it acquire".
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- Had the regulator acted sooner, the breach would have been contained before customer data was exposed.
- Were the proposal to be rejected tomorrow, the coalition would need to submit a revised version before the recess.
- The originals were destroyed in 2022; if the archive had been digitised before the flood, the researchers would still have access to the records.
- Had it not been for the volunteers’ legal advice, the residents would have missed the appeal deadline last Friday.
- Without the last-minute extension, applicants would not have had enough time to obtain the required references before applications closed yesterday.
- Should the data corroborate the initial findings, the team will publish the results next month.
- If the witness had been more precise in her initial statement, the inquiry might not still be trying to reconcile the two accounts.
- Even if the negotiations were to be concluded later tonight, implementation would still require parliamentary approval.
- If the committee had intended to postpone the vote, it would have notified members before they travelled to London.
- Had the train not been delayed, we would have caught the connection and would now be in Glasgow.
- Were any participant to disclose a conflict of interest after the hearing had begun, the panel would have to reconsider its decision.
- Only if both chambers approve the amendment will it acquire legal force.