comparative/subjunctive (past unreal) · neutral
As if/as though + past perfect, clause
Used to describe a situation that appears to have happened but did not — a past unreal comparison (e.g., 'He looked as if he had seen a ghost').
Examples
“She looked as if she had seen a ghost.”
“They argued as though they had lost everything the day before.”
“He spoke as if he had been there himself, but that was impossible.”
Band 8 sentence
“The witness described the scene as if he had been present throughout the incident, though cross‑examination suggested otherwise.”
Collocations
- look/sound/act as if + past perfect
Word family
Common mistakes
She looked as if she saw a ghost.→She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
They acted as if they have lost everything.→They acted as if they had lost everything.
Say it for a higher band
5as if + past simple→6like + past simple→7+As if/as though + past perfect, clause
Synonyms
as though + past perfect
Easily confused
As if + past simple
“He walks as if he owned the place.”
If + past perfect
“If he had studied, he would have passed.”
Related words
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In Conditionals
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