PASSIVE VOICE IN UNREAL

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
PRESENT AND PAST UNREAL CONDITIONAL.
 PRESENT UNREAL CONDITIONAL
USED TO EXPRESS HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS WHICH ARE CONTRARY TO THE FACTS
IN THE PRESENT, AND THEREFORE, ARE UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN IN THE PRESENT OR
FUTURE.

• IF I KNEW HER NUMBER, I WOULD CALL HER.

• I WOULD CALL HER IF I KNEW HER NUMBER.

NOTE: USE COULD OR MIGHT IF THE RESULT IS NOT CERTAIN.

 PASSIVE VOICE IN PRESENT UNREAL
CONDITIONAL
IF LOTS OF EFFECTIVE CANCER-FIGHTING DRUGS WERE DEVELOPED THROUGH
GENETIC ENGINEERING, THAT TECHNOLOGY MIGHT BE MORE WIDELY ACCEPTED.
NOTE:
• THE PASSIVE VOICE CAN BE USED IN BOTH CLAUSES.
• THE PASSIVE VOICE IN THE FIRST CLAUSE OF THE PRESENT UNREAL CONDITIONAL
IS FORMED USING:
WERE + A PAST PARTICIPLE
• THE PASSIVE VOICE IN THE SECOND CLAUSE OF THE PRESENT UNREAL
CONDITIONAL IS FORMED USING:
WOULD OR MIGHT + BE + A PAST PARTICIPLE
 PASSIVE VOICE IN PRESENT UNREAL
CONDITIONAL
MORE EXAMPLES:
• IF THEY IMPLANTED CHIPS IN ALL CREDIT CARD USERS, SIGNATURES WOULD NOT
BE REQUIRED.

• IF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WERE APPLIED TO KITCHEN INVENTIONS, WE

WOULDN’T HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN THE KITCHEN.

THE PASSIVE VOICE CAN BE USED IN ONE OR BOTH CLAUSES IN AN UNREAL

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE.
 PAST UNREAL CONDITIONAL
IT IS S USED TO EXPRESS IMAGINED SITUATIONS THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED DIFFERENTLY
UNDER OTHER HYPOTHETICAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS CONDITIONAL TALKS ABOUT A
FICTITIOUS PAST, HENCE THE TERM "UNREAL CONDITIONAL", BY ALTERING ONE ASPECT OF A
SCENARIO TO CHANGE ITS OUTCOME.

• IF THEY HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE STORM, THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER FLIGHT.
• THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER FLIGHT IF THEY HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE STORM.

NOTE: USE COULD HAVE OR MIGHT HAVE IF THE RESULT IS NOT CERTAIN.
 PASSIVE VOICE IN PAST UNREAL
CONDITIONAL
IF ANTIBIOTICS HAD BEEN DISCOVERED IN THE 19TH CENTURY, THE DEATH TOLL OF THE 1918 INFLUENZA
EPIDEMIC MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOWER.

IF GUNPOWDER HAD NOT BEEN INVENTED, OTHER TOOLS OF WAR WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED.
NOTE:
• THE PASSIVE VOICE CAN BE USED IN BOTH CLAUSES.
• THE PASSIVE VOICE IN THE FIRST CLAUSE OF THE PAST UNREAL CONDITIONAL IS FORMED USING:
HAD BEEN + A PAST PARTICIPLE
• THE PASSIVE VOICE IN THE SECOND CLAUSE OF THE PRESENT UNREAL CONDITIONAL IS FORMED USING:
WOULD OR MIGHT HAVE BEEN + A PAST PARTICIPLE