Conditional Structures Flashcards
6 cards from real OOPT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
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Which sentence correctly uses an inverted conditional to express a formal hypothetical?
Answer: Were the board to reject the proposal, we would need to start over.
Inverted conditionals omit 'if' and invert the subject and auxiliary verb. 'Were + subject + to + infinitive' is the correct formal inversion of a second conditional. The other options misuse 'would' in the if-clause or incorrectly combine auxiliaries.
Choose the sentence that expresses a mixed conditional: a past unfulfilled condition with a present consequence.
Answer: If she had studied medicine, she would be a doctor now.
'If she had studied medicine' (past perfect) refers to an unreal past action, while 'she would be a doctor now' (would + base verb) refers to the present consequence. This is the classic mixed conditional structure. Option B is a pure third conditional describing a past consequence, not a present one.
Which option correctly completes the sentence? 'But for the emergency landing, the passengers _____ in serious danger.'
Answer: would have been
'But for' introduces a third conditional meaning ('If it had not been for...'). Since both the condition and its consequence are in the past, the result clause requires 'would have + past participle'. 'Would be' incorrectly shifts the consequence to the present.
A student writes: 'If I would have known about the meeting, I would have attended.' What is wrong with this sentence?
Answer: 'Would have' cannot appear in the if-clause; it should be 'had known'.
In third conditionals, 'would' is never used in the if-clause. The correct form is 'If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.' This is one of the most common advanced-level errors with third conditionals.
Which sentence uses 'provided that' as a conditional linker correctly and with advanced meaning?
Answer: The contract will be valid, provided that both parties sign before midnight.
'Provided that' means 'on the condition that' and is followed by a present simple verb when expressing a real/first conditional scenario, just like 'if'. Options B, C, and D mix tenses incorrectly, pairing 'provided that' with past perfect or 'would' forms that violate conditional grammar rules.
Which sentence expresses the idea that something in the present would have been different if a past event had occurred differently — using the most grammatically precise form?
Answer: Had she accepted that job offer, she might be living in Paris today.
This is a mixed conditional: 'Had she accepted' (inverted third conditional if-clause, referring to the past) + 'she might be living in Paris today' (present result clause using a modal + continuous). Option C uses 'might have been living' which places the result in the past, not the present. Option D uses simple past in the if-clause, making it a second conditional about a hypothetical present.