Second Conditional Exercises PDFSet 2: If I Were You: Subjunctive "Were" & Giving Advice
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.If I ___ you, I would talk to your boss about the problem.
a) amb) wasc) wered) will be
2.If she ___ here right now, she would know what to do.
a) isb) will bec) has beend) were
3.If the weather ___ warmer, we would eat outside.
a) wereb) isc) will bed) has been
4.If I were you, I ___ that old laptop and get a new one.
a) sellb) would sellc) will selld) am selling
5.If he ___ a better cook, his family would eat at home more often.
a) wereb) isc) will bed) was
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.were
2.were
3.were
4.would sell
5.were
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."were"(c)
'If I were you' is the standard form for giving advice in the second conditional. The subjunctive 'were' is preferred over 'was' for all persons in formal English. Although 'was' is heard in casual speech, 'were' is considered more correct.
2."were"(d)
'If she were here' uses the subjunctive 'were', not 'is' or 'was'. She isn't here — this is an imaginary situation. 'Were' is used for all persons with 'be' in the second conditional.
3."were"(a)
'If the weather were warmer' uses subjunctive 'were'. The weather isn't warm now; we're imagining a different situation. Even with third-person subjects, we use 'were' in the second conditional with 'be'.
4."would sell"(b)
In the pattern 'If I were you, I would...', the result clause uses 'would + base verb': 'I would sell'. This gives advice about what the speaker thinks is the best action.
5."were"(a)
In the second conditional, 'were' is the preferred subjunctive form for all persons: 'If I were', 'If he were', 'If it were'. While 'was' is sometimes heard in casual speech, 'were' is the grammatically correct choice.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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