grammar · neutral
Had + subject + been + V-ing, would have + past participle
An inverted, slightly more formal way to form a third conditional with continuous aspect: equivalent to 'If + subject + had been + V-ing'.
Examples
“Had they been training harder, they would have won the tournament.”
“Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed the mistake.”
“Had she been living closer, she would have visited more often.”
Band 8 sentence
“Had the council been consulting residents earlier, the controversy would have been avoided.”
Collocations
- Had + subject + been + V-ing (inversion)
- would have + past participle
Common mistakes
Had they been trained harder, they would have won.→Had they been training harder, they would have won.
Had I been paying attention, I would notice the mistake.→Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed the mistake.
Say it for a higher band
5If + subject + had been + V-ing, would have + past participle→6Had + subject + past participle, would have + past participle→7+Had + subject + been + V-ing, would have + past participle
Synonyms
If + subject + had been + V-ing, would have + past participle
Easily confused
Had + subject + past participle, would + have + past participle
“Had she studied harder, she would have passed the exam.”
Related words
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In Conditionals
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