Conditional type III

Verb forms

The third conditional has two parts, just as the first and the second conditional: The if clause describes a condition. The main clause (= der Hauptsatz) describes a result of the condition.

The if clause can come before or after the main clause.

In the if clause, use the past perfect: had + past participle

In the main clause, use the conditional perfect: would / could + have + past participle

As a rule of thumb, remember that we don’t use would in the if clause.

Examples:

• If I had known you would come, I would have baked a cake.

• I would have studied more yesterday if I hadn’t had a headache.

Meaning

The if clause of a third conditional type sentence describes an impossible condition in the past. It is impossible because the past was different from what the condition imagines.

The main clause describes an imagined result in the past.

Exercise: Verb forms

Use the long forms of the verbs.

In 1066 in the Battle of Hastings, a Norman-French army under William the Conquerer won over an English army. If William the Conquerer (die) in the Battle of Hastings, the Plantagenats and Tudors (reign + not) Britain.

England (have) a more Scandinavian culture in the Middle Ages and the Tudor Era if the Saxons (win) over the Normans.

Without the connection to France, England (be + probably) less involved in wars on the continent. If the English (fight) less in wars on the continent, they (conquer + likely) Scotland and Ireland.

If the the Normans (invade + not) Britain, fewer French words (enter) the English language.

The exercises have been made using a free script from Random Idea English.