Casa ESL · B1 Intermediate · Unit 15 of 20 · Step 2
Hypothetical past situations and regrets
Name
Date
Vocabulary
consequence
nounA result of something that has happened.
"If they had considered the consequences, they would have acted differently."
poverty
nounThe state of being very poor.
"If the government had invested more, poverty would have decreased."
inequality
nounAn unfair difference between groups of people.
"If they had addressed inequality earlier, society would have been fairer."
volunteer
verbTo offer to do something without being paid.
"If I had volunteered at the shelter, I would have helped many people."
campaign
nounA series of organised actions to achieve a goal.
"If they had started the campaign sooner, more people would have heard about it."
awareness
nounKnowledge or understanding of a situation or issue.
"If there had been more awareness, the problem would have been solved earlier."
donate
verbTo give money or goods to help others.
"If more people had donated, the charity would have reached its goal."
impact
nounA strong effect or influence on something.
"The project would have had a greater impact if it had received more funding."
Grammar Focus
Third conditional — if + past perfect, would have + past participle
Use the third conditional to talk about unreal or hypothetical situations in the past — things that did NOT happen. Structure: If + subject + had + past participle, subject + would have + past participle. The 'if' clause can come first or second.
If I had known about the problem, I would have helped.
She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.
If they had left earlier, they wouldn't have missed the train.
We would have donated more if we had had the money.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets to form the third conditional.
1. If she (study) harder, she would have passed the test.
2. They would have helped if they (know) about the situation.
3. If the charity (receive) more donations, it would have built the school.
4. I (volunteer) if I had had more free time.
5. If the government (act) sooner, fewer people would have suffered.
Exercise 2
Choose the correct option to complete each third conditional sentence.
1. If I had seen the news, I ___ about the protest.
2. She ___ to the meeting if she had felt better.
3. If they ___ the email, they would have responded.
4. We wouldn't have been late if the bus ___.
5. If he ___ more carefully, the accident wouldn't have happened.
Reading
What If Things Had Been Different?
Last year, a small town was badly affected by flooding. Many residents lost their homes and businesses. Experts later said that if the local council had built better flood defences, the damage would not have been so severe. Some people felt that if the government had listened to scientists years ago, they would have prepared for extreme weather. A local volunteer group helped families after the disaster. One organiser said that if more people had volunteered, they would have been able to help everyone sooner. The event made the whole community think about what they could have done differently. It also raised awareness about the importance of planning for the future.
1. What did experts say could have prevented the severe damage?
2. What did the volunteer organiser say about help?
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner or your teacher.
Writing
Write 6–8 sentences about things you wish had happened differently in your life or in the world. Use the third conditional.
Example: If I had started learning English earlier, I would have been more confident when I travelled abroad. If my school had offered more languages, I would have studied French too. If I had known about the scholarship, I would have applied.
Answer Key — For Teacher Use
Exercise 1
1. had studied · 2. had known · 3. had received · 4. would have volunteered · 5. had acted
Exercise 2
1. would have known · 2. would have come · 3. had received · 4. hadn't broken down · 5. had driven
Reading Comprehension
1. Experts said that if the local council had built better flood defences, the damage would not have been so severe. · 2. The organiser said that if more people had volunteered, they would have been able to help everyone sooner.