grammar · neutral
would have + past participle
Expresses an unreal past result (regret/third conditional) or speculation about the past; structure: would + have + past participle.
Examples
“If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.”
“She would have finished earlier if she hadn’t been interrupted.”
“He would have been happier with the outcome, I think.”
Band 8 sentence
“Had the university sent the results earlier, many applicants would have accepted their offers without hesitation.”
Collocations
- would have + past participle (often after if-clause with past perfect)
Common mistakes
I would go to the party if I had known.→I would have gone to the party if I had known.
She would have finish the work.→She would have finished the work.
If he had time, he would have helped.→If he had had time, he would have helped.
Say it for a higher band
5would + base verb→6would + past simple→7+would have + past participle
Synonyms
would've + V3
Easily confused
would + base verb
“If I had a car, I would drive to work.”
would + past simple
“If she studied harder, she would pass the exam.”
Related words
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In Tenses
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