Choose the one correct completion for each sentence.
1At her retirement ceremony in 2010, she calculated that, had she stayed until 2015, she ............... the department for exactly thirty years.
Wrong!
"would have been running" places the accumulated duration within an unreal past alternative introduced by "had she stayed".
2In 1995, before construction had even begun, the company predicted that its new factory ............... a million vehicles by the end of 2005.
Wrong!
"would have produced" looks forward from the prediction in 1995 to production completed by the later deadline in 2005.
3Had the unions not accepted yesterday's revised offer, we ............... with them tomorrow instead of signing the agreement.
Wrong!
"would be negotiating" expresses an unreal future consequence of the alternative past introduced by "Had the unions not accepted".
4Were the supplier to withdraw tomorrow, we ............... all our contingency funds by the time a replacement could be appointed.
Wrong!
"would have exhausted" expresses completion before a later point within the remote future scenario introduced by "Were the supplier to withdraw".
5Only once every discrepancy ............... will the auditors be in a position to certify the accounts next month.
Wrong!
"has been accounted for" marks completion in the future time clause introduced by "once"; the future auxiliary belongs in the main clause.
6The longer the negotiations ............... next week, the less time we will have to implement whatever agreement emerges.
Wrong!
"take" expresses future time in the subordinate comparative clause; "will" appears in the main clause.
7The exhibition ............... the following Monday, but a flood on the Friday before forced the organisers to cancel the opening altogether.
Wrong!
"was to have opened" describes a scheduled event that did not take place, as the cancellation makes clear.
8You ............... the revised deadline in the email you read this morning, so there is no need for me to repeat it now.
Wrong!
"will have noticed" expresses a confident assumption about an earlier event, not a prediction about future noticing.
9The incoming director is expected ............... all her outside commitments by the day she takes office: under her contract, none may remain in force when her appointment begins.
Wrong!
"to have relinquished" presents the commitments as already ended at the future starting point, as her contract requires.
10If the agreement ............... beyond next month, both sides will need to make concessions now, before the remaining opportunity for compromise disappears.
Wrong!
"is to survive" presents future survival as an outcome for which concessions are necessary, rather than as a condition predicting what will happen.
11The lawyers hope to have finished reviewing the contract by Friday; if they ..............., we can sign it that afternoon.
Wrong!
"have" stands for "have finished reviewing the contract"; the future condition uses the present perfect, not "will have".
12The residents accepted the redevelopment plan in 1986 on one assurance: in ten years' time, the charity ............... their homes rather than leaving them to manage alone.
Wrong!
"would still be maintaining" describes an activity continuing at a future point viewed from 1986; the past perfect would place it earlier.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- At her retirement ceremony in 2010, she calculated that, had she stayed until 2015, she would have been running the department for exactly thirty years.
- In 1995, before construction had even begun, the company predicted that its new factory would have produced a million vehicles by the end of 2005.
- Had the unions not accepted yesterday’s revised offer, we would be negotiating with them tomorrow instead of signing the agreement.
- Were the supplier to withdraw tomorrow, we would have exhausted all our contingency funds by the time a replacement could be appointed.
- Only once every discrepancy has been accounted for will the auditors be in a position to certify the accounts next month.
- The longer the negotiations take next week, the less time we will have to implement whatever agreement emerges.
- The exhibition was to have opened the following Monday, but a flood on the Friday before forced the organisers to cancel the opening altogether.
- You will have noticed the revised deadline in the email you read this morning, so there is no need for me to repeat it now.
- The incoming director is expected to have relinquished all her outside commitments by the day she takes office: under her contract, none may remain in force when her appointment begins.
- If the agreement is to survive beyond next month, both sides will need to make concessions now, before the remaining opportunity for compromise disappears.
- The lawyers hope to have finished reviewing the contract by Friday; if they have, we can sign it that afternoon.
- The residents accepted the redevelopment plan in 1986 on one assurance: in ten years’ time, the charity would still be maintaining their homes rather than leaving them to manage alone.