grammar · neutral
Had + subject + past participle, would + have + past participle
Inverted third conditional: use 'Had' + subject + past participle instead of 'If + past perfect' to express the same past unreal condition, typically in formal style.
Examples
“Had I known about the strike, I would have postponed my trip.”
“Had she arrived earlier, the meeting would have started on time.”
“Had they saved more, they would have bought a house last year.”
Band 8 sentence
“Had the committee been informed earlier, it would have reconsidered the proposal before the deadline.”
Collocations
- Had + subject + past participle
- formal register
Common mistakes
Had + subject + V2/V-ed (nhưng không theo đúng thứ tự)→Had + subject + past participle, would + have + past participle
If I know, I would have ...→Had I known, I would have ...
Say it for a higher band
5If + past perfect, would have + past participle→6If + past perfect, could have + past participle→7+Had + subject + past participle, would + have + past participle
Easily confused
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
“If I had known about the traffic, I would have left earlier.”
Related words
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In Conditionals
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