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Advanced Conditionals |
This week, we are going to talk about the past unreal
conditional. Past unreal conditionals are often used to
express wishes about the past. They often show regret,
or sad feelings about something that happened in the
past. Here's an example:
If I had studied, I would have passed the test.
In this example, there is an implied wish that the
speaker had studied.
A conditional sentence has two parts. The first part is
the if clause: "If I had studied." The second part is
the result clause: "I would have passed the test."
To form the past unreal conditional, use the past
perfect in the if clause. Use had followed by a past
participle verb to form the past perfect. In the result
clause, use would have followed by the past participle.
Use past unreal conditionals to talk about how you would
have acted differently if you had had more information.
Basically, if I had known A, I would have done B.
Imagine you brought chocolate for a co-worker. You
didn't know it at the time, but your co-worker was
diabetic. In this situation, you could say, "If I had
known you were diabetic, I would not have brought
chocolate."
Some Americans use the simple past in the if clause of a
past unreal conditional. For example, there's an old
song called, "If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked
a cake." In formal speech or writing the correct form
is, "If I had known you were coming, I would have baked
a cake." There is often a difference between how grammar
is taught and how ordinary people use it in
conversation.
A conditional sentence can start with the if clause, or
the result clause. In the classic American film It's a
Wonderful Life, the main character George Bailey is
thinking about killing himself. In a moment of sadness,
George says that life would have been better if he had
never been born. Listen to this dialog between George
and his guardian angel, Clarence.
Clarence: So you still think killing yourself would make
everyone feel happier?
George: Well I don't know. I guess you're right. I
supposed it would've been better if I'd never been born
at all.
Clarence: What did you say?
George: I said I wish I had never been born.
Notice how George puts the result clause first when he
says, "I suppose it would have been better if I had
never been born." George also shortens "would have" to
"would've" and "I had" to "I'd." Native speakers often
use contractions with the words "had" and "have." That
means a past unreal conditional will often have two
contractions in it — an extra challenge for English
learners.
Sometimes speakers want to express how something that
did not happen in the past has an effect in the present.
For example, "If I had been born in China, I would speak
Chinese." Or "If had quit university, I would not have
this job." These are called mixed conditionals. In a
mixed conditional, the if clause remains in the past
perfect. But the result clause changes to the simple
present to emphasis the effect in the present.
To emphasize a feeling of regret, add "only" to the if
clause. Listen to this sad song by country singer Reba
McEntire.
"If I had only known it was the last walk in the rain,
I'd keep you out for hours in the storm."
This song is an example of a mixed conditional. The if
clause "If I had only known it was the last walk in the
rain" is in the past perfect. But the result clause,
"I'd keep you out for hours in the storm" is in the
simple present. The singer is emphasizing her present
feelings about something that did not happen in the
past.
Past unreal conditionals are complex grammar structures.
Make sure you have mastered the past perfect, the
present perfect, and irregular verbs before studying
advanced conditionals. For a simpler lesson on
conditionals, see our previous episode of Everyday
Grammar called "Introducing Conditionals."
When you are ready, a good way to practice past unreal
conditionals is to ask your English-speaking friends if
they have any regrets. You could ask "If you could
change something about your past, what would you
change?"
We'll leave you now with another song of regret by Brook
Benton:
Darling if I had known I'd miss you
like I know since you've gone,
things would have been different
if only I had known
I'm Adam Brock.
And I'm Jill Robbins. |
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