B2

Mixed Conditionals Exercises PDFSet 3: Second, Third or Mixed? Choosing the Right Conditional

20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included

Preview: Questions

Fill in the blank with the correct option.

1.If I were rich, I ___ a mansion. [imagining a different present]

a) would have boughtb) boughtc) would buyd) had bought

2.If I had known about the meeting, I ___ there yesterday.

a) would have beenb) would bec) wasd) had been

3.If she had caught the earlier train, she ___ here by now.

a) would beb) would have beenc) will bed) is

4.If we ___ near the beach, we would go surfing every weekend.

a) had livedb) livedc) would lived) live

5.If he ___ the lottery last year, he would be a millionaire today.

a) wonb) would winc) has wond) had won

... and 15 more questions in the PDF

Preview: Answers

1.would buy

2.would have been

3.would be

4.lived

5.had won

... and 15 more answers in the PDF

Preview: Explanations

1."would buy"(c)

Both the condition (being rich) and the result (buying a mansion) are about the present/future — this is a standard second conditional. Use 'would + base verb' in the result clause.

2."would have been"(a)

Both the condition (not knowing) and the result (not being there) happened in the past — this is a standard third conditional. Use 'would have + past participle'.

3."would be"(a)

The condition is past (had caught — she didn't catch it) but the result is present (by now). This is a mixed conditional (Type 3→2): past cause, present result. Use 'would be'.

4."lived"(b)

Both clauses are about the present/future — we don't live near the beach, and going surfing is an imaginary present habit. This is a second conditional, so the if-clause uses past simple (lived).

5."had won"(d)

'Last year' marks a past event, and 'today' marks a present result — this crosses time frames, making it a mixed conditional (Type 3→2). The if-clause needs past perfect: 'had won'.

... and 15 more explanations in the PDF

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