Grammar-Quizzes › Connectors › Connective Prepositions › Conditional › Past Hypotheticals 2
CONDITIONS LEADING TO THE ACCIDENT |
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When we reflect on a past accident, we analyze (look closely at) the conditions so that we can 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 |
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Hypothetical past statements are not factual (untrue). The statement in the clause after if did not occur. These conditional structures express what we could have done to avoid or change the events 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. |
HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE |
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In a past unreal (untrue) conditional structure, the verb in the condition statement, the clause after if, takes the form of a past perfect verb. |
If Jack had seen the iceberg, |
If Rose had known it, |
If Molly had talked any longer, |
If Cal had been a better man, |
MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE |
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The verb in the effect-clause, the main clause, 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. |
if — heads an adjunct prepositional phrase that takes a clause (and a few other word forms) as its complement. The condition "clause" is actually a prepositional phrase (PP). Call me if you are ready. Call me if necessary. I rarely, if ever, call them..
INITIAL CLAUSE POSITION |
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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 |
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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. |
When we analyze a catastrophe such as the sinking of the Titanic, we look closely at the errors that lead to the disaster.