Third Conditional: no possibility

The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.
Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(

	condition	result
	Past Perfect	WOULD HAVE + Past Participle
If	I had won the lottery	I would have bought a car.

Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now.

Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won.

Look at some more examples in the tables below:

IF	condition	result
	past perfect	WOULD HAVE + past participle
If	I had seen Mary	I would have told her.
If	Tara had been free yesterday	I would have invited her.
If	they had not passed their exam	their teacher would have been sad.
If	it had rained yesterday	would you have stayed at home?
If	it had rained yesterday	what would you have done?

 

result	IF	condition
WOULD HAVE + past participle		past perfect
I would have told Mary	if	I had seen her.
I would have invited Tara	if	she had been free yesterday.
Their teacher would have been sad	if	they had not passed their exam.
Would you have stayed at home	if	it had rained yesterday?
What would you have done	if	it had rained yesterday?

The third conditional (also called conditional type 3) is a structure used for talking about unreal situations in the past. This page will explain how the third conditional is formed, and when to use it.

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The structure of a third conditional sentence

Like the other conditionals, a third conditional sentence consists of two clauses, an "if" clause and a main clause:

if clause	main clause	explanation
If I had studied harder,	I would have passed the exam.	I failed the exam, because I didn't study hard enough.

If the "if" clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the "if" clause comes second, there is no need for a comma:

main clause	if clause
I probably would have passed the exam	if I had studied harder.

We use different verb forms in each part of a third conditional:

if clause	if + subject + past perfect verb*
main clause	subject + would (OR could, OR might) have + past participle

*The past perfect is formed with the auxiliary verb "had", and the past participle (or third form) of the verb.
Note also that third conditional forms can be contracted:

Full form	If I had studied harder, I probably would have passed the exam.
Contracted form	If I'd studied harder, I probably would've passed the exam.

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Using the third conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about things which DID NOT HAPPEN in the past. If your native language does not have a similar construction, you may find this a little strange, but it can be very useful. It is often used to express criticism or regret:

Example	Explanation
If you had driven more carefully, you would not have had an accident.	Criticism: You had an accident because you didn't drive carefully enough.
If we had played a little better, we could have won the game.	Regret: We didn't play well, so we lost the game.
If you had saved your money, you could have bought a computer.	Criticism: You didn't save your money, so now you can't afford a computer.
If it had snowed, we could have gone skiing.	Regret: It didn't snow, so we couldn't go skiing.

PATTERN:


3rd Conditionals are used for hypothetical events that did not happen

The third conditional talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.

a.   If + past perfect + would have + past participle = for unreal past situations


Example:   If I had known you were here, I would have brought your files.

b.   If + past perfect + could / might have + past participle

Example:   If there had been another train to Tokyo, Aira might have arrived on time to the meeting.


Execise A:   Which is the implied meaning of each clause. Write T (true) or F (false). First is
                  already done.

1.   If you had done your homework, you would have known the answer.

__F__ a.   You have done your homework.
__T__ b.   You didn't know the answer.

2.   We wouldn't have missed the bus if it had been a few minutes left.

_____ a.   We missed the bus.
_____ b.   The bus was a few minutes late.

3.   If I hadn't save enough money, I wouldn't have been able to go to the U.S.

_____ a.   I didn't save enough money.
_____ b.   I wasn't able to go to the U.S.

Execise B:   Put the verbs in the right tense.

1.   My friend didn't go with us. If she _____ (go) with us, she _____ (take) lots of pictures.

2.   I didn't like Mike. If he _____ (be) nicer, I _____ (like) him.

3.   My partner spends all the money she earns. If she _____ (save) some money, she _____
      (go) to Canada.

4.   I _____(not ask) you to join us If _____ (know) about the accident.

5.   Why didn't you tell me? If you _____ (tell) me, I_____ (lend) you my camera.

6.   Mary was afraid of dogs. If she _____ (not be) afraid of dogs, she _____ (come) with us.


Execise C:   Change the sentences into 3rd Conditional.


Example:

I didn't know you were coming, I didn't wait.
If I had known you were coming, I would have waited.

1.   I wanted you to keep me company. I asked.

2.   I didn't learn Spanish. I didn't want to go to the Spain institute.

3.   I didn't have a better grade. I didn't work hard.

4.   I bought some expensive clothes. I am out of money.

PAST SIMPLE: #REGULAR AND #IRREGULAR

ATUALIZANDO... UPDATING...

O Simple Past descreve uma ação que já ocorreu e que não ocorre mais. A ação teve início e fim no passado. No Simple Past o verbo não é flexionado em nenhuma pessoa, repetindo-se em todas elas.

Verbos Regulares - Regular Verbs

Primeiramente iremos estudar o Simple Past dos verbos regulares que, de um modo geral, é formado acrescentando -d ou -ed ao infinitivo dos verbos. Observe a tabela abaixo:

- FORMA AFIRMATIVA:

I	workedyesterday
You	worked yesterday
He	worked yesterday
She	worked yesterday
It	worked yesterday
We	worked yesterday
You	worked yesterday
They	workedyesterday

- PARTICULARIDADES DA ORTOGRAFIA DO SIMPLE PAST:

1. Os verbos terminados em e recebem apenas a letra -d ao infinitivo do verbo. Veja alguns  exemplos abaixo:

hope - hoped

change - changed

like - liked

behave - behaved

lie - lied

live - lived

love - loved

arrive - arrived

invite - invited

snore - snored

2. Se o verbo tiver uma única sílaba ou terminar em sílaba tônica formada por consoante/vogal/consoante, dobra-se a última consoante e acrescenta-se -ed:

stop - stopped

permit - permitted

occur - occurred

rob - robbed

admit - admitted

prefer - preferred

omit - omitted

control - controlled

drop - dropped

plan - planned

shop - shopped

OBSERVAÇÃO: No Inglês Britânico, se o verbo termina com a letra "L", dobra-se essa consoante mesmo que a última sílaba não seja tônica. travel - travelled rival - rivalled

3. Os verbos terminados em y precedido de consoante trocam o y por -ied:

study - studied

carry - carried

worry - worried

try - tried

hurry - hurried

cry - cried

OBSERVAÇÃO: Quando o y for precedido de vogal, não há mudança ortográfica, bastando apenas acrescentar -ed ao verbo: pray - prayed enjoy - enjoyed obey - obeyed play - played

4. Os verbos terminados em consoante/vogal/consoante cuja sílaba tônica não é a última não dobram a consoante, apenas recebem -ed:

listen - listened

develop - developed

open - opened

fasten - fastened

suffer - suffered

visit - visited

wonder - wondered

offer - offered

35 Troublesome Irregular Verbs

35 Troublesome Irregular Verbs

by Mark Nichol

In English, many verbs adapt simply to the past tense with the attachment of either -d or -ed, as in walk/walked or brake/braked. These are called regular verbs.

Many other verbs, however, undergo more significant alterations to transform from references to present-tense actions to those representing actions performed in the past. Such words are called irregular verbs.

The simple past, the tense form that describes what has previously occurred, is fairly straightforward once one assimilates the forms for each irregular verb. But complications set in when the past participle — a verb assisted by an auxiliary verb, or a past-tense form of the verb to be — is employed.

Some past-participle forms are easily distinguished from their simple-past counterparts, as in the case of ate/eaten, for example, or saw/seen (“I ate already”/“I had eaten already”; “We saw the movie”/“We had seen the movie”). Others, however, often literally give writers pause. Many of them are presented below in sample sentences with simple-past usage for comparison:

1.
“A problem arose.”
“A problem had arisen.”
2.
“They beat the odds.”
“They had beaten the odds.”
3.
“She bore it well.”
“She had borne it well.”
4.
“He broke the record.”
“He had broken the record.”
5.
“My friend drank three beers already.”
“My friend had drunk three beers already.”
6.
“You forsook us.”
“You had forsaken us.”
7.
“The boy hid the ball.”
“The boy had hidden the ball.”
8.
“I lay on the floor for a moment.”
“I had lain on the floor for a moment.”
9.
“We rode far.”
“We had ridden far.”
10.
“The phone rang.”
“The phone had rung.”
11.
“She rose to the occasion.”
“She had risen to the occasion.”
12.
“She sang.”
“She had sung.”
13.
“He shook it loose.”
“He had shaken it loose.”
14.
“The shirt shrank when I dried it.”
“The shirt had shrunk when I dried it.”
15.
“We strode along merrily the entire way.”
“We had stridden along merrily the entire way.”
16.
“The team strove to come back from behind.”
“The team had striven to come back from behind.”
17.
“I swore that I had not taken it.”
“I had sworn that I had not taken it.”
18.
“They swam to the other end and back.”
“They had swum to the other end and back.”
19.
“He took her back home.”
“He had taken her back home.”
20.
“My sister tore the paper up.”
“My sister had torn the paper up.”
Hanged and Hung
The past-participle form of hang is a special case. When referring to an object, hung is employed for both simple past and past participle:
21.
“They hung the stockings with great care.”
“They had hung the stockings with great care.”
In reference to execution by hanging, however, hanged is often (but not always) used in both forms:
“The horse thief was summarily hanged.”
“The horse thief had been summarily hanged.”
Hung in the latter sense is more likely to appear in a more casual context, as in a jocular usage or when referring to hanging in effigy:
“I’ll be hung by my feet over an open fire if I don’t finish this in time.”
Choices
Many other verbs offer writers alternative forms for past tense, past-participle tense, or both:
22.
“I awaked (or awoke or awakened) to a deafening hum.”
“I had awoken (or awaked or awakened) to a deafening hum.”
23.
“She forgot to call back.”
“She had forgotten (or forgot) to call back.”
24.
“The swimmer quickly dove (or dived) into the pool.”
“The swimmer had quickly dived into the pool.”
25.
“I got nothing in return.”
“I had gotten (or got) nothing in return.”
26.
“She lighted (or lit) another cigarette.”
“She had lit (or lighted) another cigarette.”
27.
“He proved that I was right.”
“He had proven (or proved) me right.”
28.
“The boat sank.”
“The boat had sunk (or sank).”
29.
“She showed him the door.”
“She had shown (or showed) him the door.”
30.
“The medallion shined (or shone) in the sunlight.”
“The medallion had shone (or shined) in the sunlight.”
31.
“I sneaked (or snuck) out last night.”
“I had snuck (or sneaked) out last night.”
32.
“The tiger sprang (or sprung) noiselessly.”
“The tiger had sprung noiselessly.”
33.
“The car’s interior stank (or stunk) of stale fast food.”
“The car’s interior had stunk of stale fast food.”
34.
“My dog waked (or woke) me up.”
“My dog had woken (or waked) me up.”
35.
“My aunt weaved (or wove) the scarf.”
“My aunt had woven (or weaved) the scarf.”