Wish & If Only Exercises PDFSet 4: Advanced Wishes and Regrets: As If, Would Rather, If Only & Unreal Past
20 questions·18 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.The director spoke with such authority about the archaeological site as though she ___ there on the original expedition decades earlier.
a) had beenb) wasc) would bed) has been
2.Despite having no formal training, he handles the negotiations as if he ___ a seasoned diplomat.
a) isb) werec) had beend) would be
3.When the audit results were announced, the finance manager reacted as if she ___ about the discrepancies all along.
a) knowsb) would knowc) had knownd) was knowing
4.My colleague treats every minor inconvenience as though it ___ a catastrophe of global proportions.
a) isb) has beenc) would bed) were
5.After reading just one chapter, the student discussed the novel as though she ___ the entire book twice.
a) had readb) readsc) has readd) would read
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.had been
2.were
3.had known
4.were
5.had read
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."had been"(a)
'As though' + past perfect for an unreal past situation. She was NOT on the original expedition, but she speaks as if she was. The time marker 'decades earlier' establishes a past-before-past relationship, requiring past perfect. 'Was' (past simple) after as though would suggest a simultaneous unreal comparison, but the expedition happened long before the speaking.
2."were"(b)
'As if' + subjunctive 'were' for a present unreal situation. He is NOT a diplomat, but he acts like one now. Use 'were' (not 'was') for all subjects in as if/as though clauses expressing present unreality. 'Had been' (past perfect) would suggest a past unreal situation, but 'handles' (present tense) confirms this is about the present. 'Is' would imply you believe he might actually be a diplomat.
3."had known"(c)
'As if' + past perfect because the hypothetical knowing would have started BEFORE the announcement. 'All along' indicates continuous prior knowledge, which requires past perfect to show the knowing preceded the announcement. 'Knows' (present) doesn't fit the past narrative. 'Would know' is not standard after as if. 'Was knowing' is ungrammatical — 'know' is a stative verb and cannot be used in continuous forms.
4."were"(d)
'As though' + subjunctive 'were' for a present unreal comparison. Minor inconveniences are clearly NOT global catastrophes — this is unreal. 'Were' (subjunctive) is used for all subjects after as if/as though to express unreality. 'Is' (present simple) would suggest the speaker genuinely believes the inconveniences are catastrophes. 'Would be' is not the standard construction after as if/as though.
5."had read"(a)
'As though' + past perfect for a past unreal situation. She had NOT read the entire book, but after reading one chapter, she discussed it as if she had. Past perfect is required because the hypothetical reading (the whole book) would have been completed before the discussion. 'Reads' (present simple) is wrong in a past narrative. 'Has read' (present perfect) breaks sequence-of-tenses rules. 'Would read' is not standard after as though.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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