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Past Unreal Situations 2

Analyzing an accident

Titanic

 

 

 

 

What Caused the Titanic to Sink?
CONDITIONS LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT

When we reflect on a past accident, we analyze (look closely at) the conditions to understand what we needed to do to avoid the accident.  Read the following conditions and determine what errors were made.

Speed - The Titanic was trying to beat a trans-Atlantic time crossing record.

Lifeboats - The Titanic had lifeboats and preservers for less than half of the people on board
HYPOTHETICAL CAUSE - EFFECT STATEMENTS

Hypothetical past statements are not factual (untrue). The statement in the if-clause did not occur. These conditionals state what we could have done to avoid  or change the course of a tragedy.

If the Captain had cruised at a lower speed and postponed setting a 'crossing' record, the watchmen might have spotted the iceberg in time.

If the White Star Line had included more life boats on the Titanic, all the people could have survived.
 

 

 

 

 

Past Unreal Conditional  (Hypothetical)

Tense Structure

 

 

Conditional Tense Structure 
HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE

The verb in the if-clause of a past hypothetical takes the form of the past participle.

If Jack had seen the iceberg, 
(the hero in the Titanic movie)

If Rose had known  it,
(the main character in the Titanic movie)

If Molly had talked any longer,
(a character in the movie)

If Cal had been a better man, 
(the villain in the movie)
MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE

The verb in the effect-clause of a past hypothetical takes the form of would have, could have, should have , or might have + participle.

he would have told the captain.

she could have left him earlier.

she would have put everyone to sleep.

he might have acted in a kinder manner.
 

 

 

 

 

Past Unreal Conditional (Hypothetical)

Punctuation

 

 

INITIAL CLAUSE POSITION  

use commasWhen the if-clause comes before the result clause, a comma separates the clauses.

If we had known the movie was long, we would have gotten some popcorn.

If we had gotten here earlier, we could have found better seats. 

 FINAL CLAUSE POSITION

no commaWhen the if-clause comes after the result clause, no comma separates the clauses.

We would have gotten some popcorn if we had known the movie was long.

We could have found better seats if we had gotten here earlier.
 

 

 

 

 

Practice

Analysis: looking at the whole situation

lifeboats

 

 

 

When we analyze a catastrophe such as the sinking of the Titantic, we look closely at the errors that lead to the disastet.

  • ship design
  • speed of Titanic
  • number of lifeboats
  • use of binoculars
  • angle of impact
  • emergency response time of Titanic crew
  • emergency response of other ships
  • number of people in lifeboats
  • accessibility of lifeboats (to all classes)
  • assuming Titanic to be "unsinkable"
 

 

 

  1. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Click the "check all" button at the bottom of the practice to reveal the answers after you finish, or
    c lick the individual "check" buttons #1-10 to compare responses as you go.

 

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tempt fate (expression) – provoke — bring on the " evil eye"