grammar · neutral
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
Third conditional used to talk about past hypothetical situations and their imagined results.
Examples
“If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.”
“If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.”
“If she had revised, she would have passed the exam.”
Band 8 sentence
“If the council had consulted local residents before approving the development, many of the current problems could have been avoided.”
Collocations
- If + subject + had + past participle
- would have + past participle (main clause)
Common mistakes
If I would have studied harder, I would have passed.→If I had studied harder, I would have passed.
If I knew, I would have helped you.→If I had known, I would have helped you.
If she had left earlier, she would catch the train.→If she had left earlier, she would have caught the train.
Say it for a higher band
5If + past simple, would have + past participle→6If + would have + past participle, would have + past participle→7+If + past perfect, would have + past participle
Easily confused
If + past simple, would + base verb
“If I had more free time, I would travel more.”
If + past perfect, would + base verb
“If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.”
Related words
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In Tenses
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