Third Conditional Exercises PDFSet 4: Second vs Third Conditional: Present or Past Unreal?
20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.If I ___ taller, I would join the basketball team. (I'm short now.)
a) wereb) had beenc) amd) would be
2.If she ___ the bus, she wouldn't have been late for the interview. (She missed it yesterday.)
a) didn't missb) doesn't missc) wouldn't missd) hadn't missed
3.If I spoke French, I ___ for that job in Paris. (I don't speak French.)
a) would applyb) would have appliedc) will applyd) applied
4.If we had booked earlier, we ___ better seats. (We booked late last week.)
a) would getb) would have gotc) will getd) got
5.If he ___ a car, he would drive to work every day. (He doesn't own a car.)
a) had hadb) hasc) hadd) would have
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.were
2.hadn't missed
3.would apply
4.would have got
5.had
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."were"(a)
This is a second conditional sentence — the speaker is talking about an imaginary present situation (being short now). Use 'If I were' (past simple/subjunctive), not 'If I had been' (which would be third conditional, about the past).
2."hadn't missed"(d)
This is a third conditional sentence — she missed the bus yesterday (past). Use past perfect in the if-clause: 'If she hadn't missed'. 'Didn't miss' is past simple, used in the second conditional's if-clause for present unreal.
3."would apply"(a)
Second conditional — the speaker doesn't speak French now. The result clause uses 'would + base verb': 'I would apply'. 'Would have applied' is third conditional and would mean a past situation.
4."would have got"(b)
Third conditional — they booked late last week (past event). The result clause uses 'would have + past participle': 'we would have got'. 'Would get' is second conditional for present unreal.
5."had"(c)
Second conditional — he doesn't own a car now. Use past simple in the if-clause: 'If he had'. 'Had had' is past perfect and would make this third conditional (about the past).
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
Prefer practicing online?
Try our interactive exercises with instant feedback.