SKILL 15: LISTEN FOR UNTRUE

CONDITIONS
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES ARE SOMETHING LIKE WISHES. IN UNREAL CONDITIONAL
SENTENCES, THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THE OPPOSITE OF THE CONDITION IS TRUE.
SKILL 15: LISTEN FOR UNTRUE CONDITIONS
Conditional sentences are something like wishes. In unreal conditional sentences, the implication is that the
opposite of the condition is true.

Example:

On the recording, you hear:

(man) Do you think that you’ll be able to go to the party?

(woman) If I had time, I would go.

(narrator) What does the woman say about the party?

Possible answers:

Possible answers:

(A) Maybe she’ll go.

(B) She has time, so she’ll go.

(C) She is going even if she doesn’t have time.

(D) It’s impossible to go.

In this question, the condition If I had time implies that the opposite is true: The woman does not
have time for the party, so it’s impossible to go. Therefore, the best answer to this question is
answer (D).
An unreal condition with a past tense verb is talking
about something that’s not true in the present.

If she were at home, she could help us.

·         She’s not at home now, and she can’t help us now.

We could invite him if he didn’t have class today.

·         We can’t invite him now because he has class today (now).
An unreal condition with a past perfect tense verb is
talking about something that wasn’t true in the past.

I would have helped you if I’d know you needed me.

·         I didn’t help you, and I didn’t know you needed me (past).

If we hadn’t gotten lost, we would have been here earlier.

·         We got lost, so we weren’t here earlier (past).

Key information about untrue conditions

POINT EXAMPLE MEANING

An affirmative condition implies a If she were at home, she could do it. not at home
negative reality.
A negative condition implies an If she weren´t at home, she could do it. at home
affirmative reality.
A past tense implies a present If had money, i would buy it. do not have money
reality
A past perfect verb implies a past If had had money, i would have bought it. did not have money
reality
Had can be used without if Had i had money. i would have bought it did not have money
POINT
An affirmative condition
implies a negative reality.
A negative condition implies
an affirmative reality.
A past tense implies a present
reality
A past perfect verb implies a
past reality
Had can be used without if
EXAMPLE MEANING
If she were at home, she could not at home
do it.
If she weren´t at home, she at home
could do it.
If had money, i would buy it. do not have money
If had had money, i would did not have money
have bought it.
Had i had money. i would did not have money
have bought it
Video Link

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Np7dmvw0U