MIXED CONDITIONALS

 
We use mixed conditionals if we want to mix talking about the present and the past in the same
sentence. The mixed conditional is a combination of the second and the third conditional:
1 We can use past simple or continuous in the if-clause (to refer to the present or future),
and would/should/might have + past participle in the main clause (to refer to the past).
2 We can also use past perfect in the if-clause (to refer to the past),
and would/should/might + infinitive (to refer to the present).
If I didn’t have (second conditional) so much work, I would have gone (third conditional) to the party
last night.
If I spoke (second conditional) German, I would have understood (third conditional) them.
If I had won (third conditional) the lottery, I would be (second conditional) rich.
If I hadn’t dropped (third conditional) school, I could have (second conditional) a better job now.

1) Read each sentence. Decide if each explanation, A and B, is true (T) or false (F).

1. Jack could have been a famous swimmer if he was more prepared to train hard.
A) Jack isn’t a famous swimmer. _______ B) Jack doesn’t like training hard. _______
2. If Ned’s parents had moved to France, he might speak French now.
A) Ned’s parents moved to France ______ B) Ned doesn’t speak French.__________
3. If John and Adam had talked to each other more, they could still be friends today.
A) They didn’t talk to each other enough._____ B) They are still friends. _______
4. If Mary didn’t believe her son’s story, she might have called the police.
A) Mary doesn’t believe her son’s story. ______ B) Mary called the police._______
5. Sarah would have found a husband years ago if she wanted to get married.
A) Sarah wants to get married.________ B) Sarah has found a husband. _______
6. If the Smiths had missed the train, they wouldn’t be here to enjoy their cousin’s wedding.
A) The Smiths missed the train. ______ B) They came to their cousin’s wedding._____

2) Match the two halves of the mixed conditional sentences. Complete the second part with the correct verbs.

1. If she had done the work properly, A. I _________________ (call) for a taxi.

2. If you weren’t my best friend, B. if he ______________________ (not like) children.

3. If I’d saved enough money, C. the garden________________ (not look) so beautiful.

4. He wouldn’t have become a teacher D. if he __________________________ (fail) his exams.

5. If it hadn’t rained so much, E. I______________________ (not tell) you what I really think.

6. Ted wouldn’t be going to university F. if he ___________________ (not have) his exam tomorrow.

7. If I hadn’t left my phone at home, G. I______________________ (buy) you the dress.

8. Frank would have gone to the club H. her boss________________ (be) pleased.
3) Complete these mixed conditional sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1. If John _________________ (accept) that job at the bank, he _____________________ (be) on a high
salary by now.
2. Sarah _______________________ (not be) at this school now if her parents ____________________ (not
move) to this town two years ago.
3. If I ____________________________ (not like) meat, I _________________________________ (not order)
it from the menu last night.

4. If Tom ____________________ (lose) his iPad, he ___________________ (not be) looking miserable.

5. If Alan ______________________ (be) rude to Ann, she ____________________ (like) him.

6. If I ____________________ (like) animated films, I ______________________ (watch) Cinderella.

7. If the television_______________________ (break), we _____________ (watch) the game this weekend.

4) Rewrite each pair of sentences as a mixed conditional sentence.

1. The Browns are on holiday. That’s why they didn’t visit their neighbours.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. I didn’t learn to play the violin. I’m not in an orchestra now.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Kate is learning Portuguese. That’s why she spent two weeks in Lisbon.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Jeremy isn’t fit. That’s why he didn’t finish the race.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Paul does believe you. That's why he didn’t leave you.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

6. You aren’t a good student. That’s why you didn’t go to university.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

7. It rained all night. That’s why we can’t play football on the field.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Mark worked hard last term. That’s why he’s disappointed with his exam results.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Mary is a hard worker. That’s why she’s got a promotion.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
Exerc
Exercise 3
Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Dialogue 1
ANN: How was your Spanish exam, Claire?

CLAIRE: Fine, I guess. I got a B. I could have got a better mark provided I 1 ________________ (work) harder on the
verbs. And you?

ANN: I didn’t study and I failed, but I 2 _______________ (fail) even if I had studied, that’s why I decided not to do it.

CLAIRE: That’s not true. Nobody fails an exam as long as they 3 ________________ (study).

ANN: That’s easy for you to say. If you 4 _____________ (be) in my shoes, you would think differently. Sometimes
people work hard but they don’t get the results they want. It’s different for you; for you it’s easy to succeed in whatever
you want to succeed.

CLAIRE: That’s unfair. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I 5 ____________________ (work) very hard all these past
years.

Dialogue 2
MOTHER: You can’t go out. That’s out of question.

SON: Please, mum. Can I go out on condition I 6 ________________ (do) all my homework before leaving.

MOTHER: Well, if you 7 __________________ (do) your homework when I asked you, you would be allowed to go
out now.

SON: But I didn’t hear you. If I had heard you, I 8 __________________ (do) it.

MOTHER: That’s the problem; you never listen. It 9 __________________ (not hurt) if you listened to me once in a
while. If you 10 ___________________ (do) it more often, your life would be much easier.

Exercise 4
Fill in
case condition even had long provided should supposing unless whether each
gap
with one word from the list. Do NOT use if.

1. You should vote _________________ if you don’t know who to vote for.

2. You can go on __________________ you come back before 10.

3. ________________ it not been for him, I would have drowned.

4. It’s my money, so I’m going to buy a new car _________________or not you agree with me.

5. __________________ I told you the truth, would you ever tell anyone?

6. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as _______________ as you do not stop.

7. You can print as many copies as you want _______________ that they are intended for personal use

8. ____________________ you see her, will you tell her to call me?

9. The concert will be cancelled _________________ we sell more tickets.

10. I’ll take some snacks in _______________ we get hungry later.

KEY
Ex.1) Ex.2)

1. A – T B–T 1H would be
2. A – F B–T 2E wouldn’t have told
3. A – T B–F 3G would buy
4. A – F B- F 4B didn’t like 5C wouldn’t look
5. A – F B -F 6D had failed 7A would call
6. A – F В- T 8F didn’t have

Ex. 3)

1. If John had accepted that job at the bank, he would be on a high salary by now.

2. Sarah wouldn’t be at this school now if her parents hadn’t moved to this town two years ago.

3. If I didn’t like meat, I wouldn’t have ordered it from the menu last night.

4. If Tom hadn’t lost his iPad, he wouldn’t be looking miserable.

5. If Alan hadn’t been rude to Ann, she would like him.

6. If I liked animated films, I would have watched Cinderella.

7. If the television had not broken, we would watch the game this weekend.

Ex. 4)

1. If the Browns weren’t on holiday, they would have visited their neighbours.

2. If I had learnt to play the violin, I would / could be in an orchestra now.

3. If Kate wasn’t learning Portuguese, she wouldn’t have spent two weeks in Lisbon.

4. If Jeremy was/were fit, he would have finished the race.

5. If Paul didn’t believe you, he would have left you.

6. If you were a better student, you would/could have gone to university.

7. If it hadn’t rained all night, we could play football on the field.

8. If Mark hadn’t worked hard last term, he wouldn’t be disappointed with his exam results.

9. If Mary wasn’t a hard worker, she wouldn’t have got a promotion.

 Dialogue 1
ANN: How was your Spanish exam, Claire?
CLAIRE: Fine, I guess. I got a B. I could have got a better mark provided I 1 had worked    (work) harder
on the verbs. And you?
ANN: I didn’t study and I failed, but I 2 would have failed   (fail) even if I had studied, that’s why I decided
not to do it.
CLAIRE: That’s not true. Nobody fails an exam as long as they 3 study    (study).
ANN: That’s easy for you to say. If you 4 were   (be) in my shoes, you would think differently. Sometimes
people work hard but they don’t get the results they want. It’s different for you; for you it’s easy to succeed in
whatever you want to succeed.
CLAIRE: That’s unfair. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I 5 hadn’t worked    (work) very hard all these past
years.
 Dialogue 2
MOTHER: You can’t go out. That’s out of question.
SON: Please, mum. Can I go out on condition I 6 do    (do) all my  homework before leaving.
MOTHER: Well, if you 7 had done    (do) your homework when I asked you, you would be allowed to go
out now.
SON: But I didn’t hear you. If I had heard you, I 8 would have done   (do) it.
MOTHER: That’s the problem; you never listen. It 9 wouldn’t hurt    (not hurt) if you listened to me once in
a while. If you 10 did    (do) it more often, your life would be much easier.
  
Feedback
1 Correct answer: had worked
 This is a third conditional sentence where provided is used instead of if.

2 Correct answer: would have failed

 This is a third conditional sentence where even if is used instead of if.

3 Correct answer: study

 This is a zero conditional sentence where as long as is used instead of if.

4 Correct answer: were

 This is a second conditional sentence.

5 Correct answer: hadn’t worked

 This is a mixed conditional sentence. I wouldn’t be where I am today (second conditional), if I
hadn’t worked very hard (third conditional).

6 Correct answer: do
 This is a first conditional sentence.

7 Correct answer: had done

 This is a mixed conditional sentence. If I had done your homework (third conditional), you would be
allowed to go out now (second conditional).

8 Correct answer: would have done

 This is a third conditional sentence.

9 Correct answer: would not hurt

 This is a second conditional sentence.

10 Correct answer: did

 This is a second conditional sentence.

Exercise 4

Fill in each gap with one word from the list. Do NOT use if.

case       condition       even       had       long       provided       should       supposing       unless      

whether

1You should vote even    if you don’t know who to vote for.
 We also use even if to mean ‘whether or not’ (for emphasis).

2You can go on condition   you come back before 10.

 We can use the expressions as long as, provided/providing (that), on condition (that), or only if instead
of if when we want to emphasize the condition that needs to be present so that something can happen or be done.

3Had    it not been for him, I would have drowned.

 In third conditional sentences, we can invert the auxiliary verb had and leave if out. Had we arrived =  If we
had arrived.

4It’s my money, so I’m going to buy a new car whether    or not you agree with me.
 We use whether or not when there are two alternatives and we want to say that something will happen or will
be true in any of those two alternatives.

5Supposing    I told you the truth, would you ever tell anyone?
 We normally use suppose or supposing at the beginning of a sentence to make someone imagine a situation.
It means ‘what would happen if’, or simply ‘if’ (imagining a situation).

6It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long    as you do not stop.
 We can use the expressions as long as, provided/providing (that), on condition (that), or only if instead
of if when we want to emphasize the condition that needs to be present so that something can happen or be done.

7You can print as many copies as you want provided    that they are intended for personal use
 We can use the expressions as long as, provided/providing (that), on condition (that), or only if instead
of if when we want to emphasize the condition that needs to be present so that something can happen or be done.

8Should   you see her, will you tell her to call me?
 In first conditional sentences it’s possible to use should at the beginning of the sentence instead of if. This
form is formal and it’s quite common with an imperative form in the main clause.

9The concert will be cancelled unless   we sell more tickets.

 We can use unless in conditional sentences to mean ‘if (not)’

 unless we cancel = ‘if we don’t cancel’

10I’ll take some snacks in case    we get hungry later.

We use in case to talk about precautions, when we do something because something not wanted
might happen.