Unreal Conditionals:

Past

Sectión 5 ENTERTAINMENT 4A

� Besf Bets fol' Holiday Viewing

It's a Wonderful Life
Rating: **** out of ****
W hat would have happened if you had never been
born? George Bailey's guardian angel, Clarence,
shows George that life in Bedford Falis would have been
a lot difieren! if George hadn. 't been there. In the process,
Clarence teaches us ali how our lives touch those of others.
1-lighly recc,mmended for the whole fomily.

George (seoted)
wirh his guardian angel

!CHECK! PO/NT
Circle T (True) or F (False).
T F George Bailey was never in Bedford Falis.

CHARTCHECK -► STATEMENTS
Check the correct /1 CLAUSE: RESULT (LAUSt:
answers. PAST Pumcr Wouto (NOT) HAVE + PA.ST PARTICIPLE
Use the post perfect in lf 1 had (not) had money, 1 would (not) have moved away.
O t. h e if clause.
O tbe result clause. YES/NO QUESTIONS
Use a comma bctween RESULT (LAUU /1 CLAUSf.
the two clauses when
Would you have left if you had had money?
O the if dause
comes first.
SHORT ANSWERS
O the result clause
comes first. AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE

Yes, 1 would have. No, 1 wouldn't have.

290
 Unreal Condltionals: Past ■ 291

WH• QUESTIONS
Ruu,
T CLAUSE ,, CLAUSl CONTRACTIONS
would have = would've
What would you have done ifyou had had money?
would not have = wouldn't have

EXPRESS {3: :J
(4.i
Complete this sentence with the correct form of the verb study. Add o commo if necessory.
I ___________ if I had known about the quiz today.

Grammar Explanations Examples

if duus.e re$u1t cl..tu$e

1. Use p.a5t unreaJ condltfonal sentence.s to ■ lf George had died young, he wouldn't have
talk abool pasl conditions and results that had childreo.
never ha¡p;pe:oed. (But he didn't d;e young., so he had chifdrefl.)

The if clause presents the unreal condition. ■ lf Ceorge hadn't been bom, many peopfe's
The result clause presents the imagined resolt lives would have been worse.
of thal condition. (Bc,t Ceorge was bom, so their lives were berter.)

if dau.se re�vll clause

2. Use the past �rfect in the if dause. ■ 11 the film had won an Osear, it would have
Use would hav� + past partlciple in become famous right away.
the result clause.

3. You c.an also use modals in the result clau.se. ■ lf Georg• had gone to college, he mlght ha•e
be-come an architec1.

■ lf George had become an architect, he could

hav� de-signed btidges.

4. Yoo can begin condltional sentence5 with ■ lf he had won a milllon dollars, he woutd
tbe if dauw oc the Cf\tl!t dame. The meaning is have traveled to China.
the same. OR
■ He woutd have traveled to China if he had
Use a comma between the two dauses only
won a million dollars.
when the il clause comes first.

5. Pa5t unreal conditionals are often used to ■ lf I h.ad known Mary was in town,
express re;gret about what happened in the past. 1 would have lnvlted her to the party.
(/ regret lhot I didn't invite her.)
292 ■ Unit 67

RI
IJil
TRUE OR FAlSE • Read each numbered sentence. Write T (True) or F (False) for the
statement that follows.

1. If I had had time, 1 would have watcbed It's a Wo11derful Life.

_r_ 1 didn't have time to watch lt's a Wonderfitl Life.
2. I would have taped the movie lf my \ICR hadn't broken.
__ 1 taped the movie.
3. If Clarence hadn't been lhere, George might have killed himself.
__ Clarcnce was there.
4. George wouldn't have met Mary if he hadn't gone to bis brother's graduat .ion party.
__ George clidn't go to the party.
s. George would have been happier if b.e had become an ai·chitect.
__ Geo,-ge became an arehitect.
6. The 01ovie wouldn't have been so good if James Stewart hadn't played the part of
Goorge Bailey.
__ James Stewart played the part of George Bailey.

ll!!ii:I COMPLETE• George is thinking about tl,e post. Complete his thoughts with the correct
IJiil form of the words in porentheses.

1. 1 didn't go into business with my friend Sam. lf 1_____ h �a<l�g"°_

o____
ne into
(go)
bu sin ess with bim, 1 __ wo
_u_l__ a_
d _ve
h _b_ec__
_
o _
m_
e a s uccess.
(become)
a my because I was deafin one ear. 1 _______ _
2, 1 couldn't go into the r _
(go)
into the army if 1 ---�-------- my hcaring in that ear.
(not lo�)
3. Mary and I weren't able to go ou a honeymoon. We -----,,-.-,,---- away if
(can/ 90)
m y father___________ sick.
(not 9e1)
4. Clarence showe<l me how the world would look without me. 1_____ ____ _
(nO( i:now)
that I was so important if Clarence__________ me.
(001 show)
5. My old boss once made a terrible mistake. Ifl _________ him, he
(1l()I help)
---..,... --,-,---- to jail.
(Cat'I/90)
6. Mary __________ a happy life if she__________ me.
(rnay / 1l◊l lead) (not m,my)
7. Life here really different if 1 ----�----
(be) (not live)
 Unreal Conditionals: Past ■ 293

El REWRrrE • Read each true situotion. Then write o post unreol conditlonol sentence to
express how t/1ings could hove been differenr.

1. Clarence wasn't a first-class angel, so he didn't have much self-confidence.

ff Clarence had Peen a flrst-class an9el, he would have had more seff-confi.dence.
2. George was unhappy about his business. He yelled at his daughter on Christmas Eve.

3. Poor people could buy houses because George's business loaned them money.

4. Mr. Potter wasn't able to t-rick George, so George didn't sell Potter t.he business.

5. George's Uncle Billy lost $8,000. George got into trouble witb the law.

6. George's friends didn't know about his troubles. Thcy didn't help him right away.

7. George's friends collected money for him, so he didn't go to jail.

EDIT • Reod C/orence's diory entry. Find ond correct six mistokes in the u,e of the unreal
conditional. The first mistake is alreody corrected. Remember to check punctuationl

Oea.r Owv,
/' hadn'e
_(wutf lww-tlwcjf work out fouuti.Hw. lf fJe.tJYje,�WtUttd toJUH<f'
lt�
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Job lil<.e, f
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tftotljl,,t ojti,,,, idea, ojffwwút:J /u;s,, tifo i,� Bulford. Fa.lL, wii:Jwut ¡,_;,..,_ 01te, ojti,,,, fadÁeft
tmH.jf wru fW-lfj aJl, thofe,peopf,e, wfw di.d,t:t luwe, lwuw. 1f (Je.tJYje,3a.ue, u¡,, M.d, foU hu
bu.i;t,Uf to Mr. Pot:ter, t/w(; Pottu wou.U fto_v-,, re,ti:ed, rw,,,á,,wH,apa.ri:uwttr to a1t tlw,e,
peopf,e,. Bui: b=e. ojfJe.tJYje,, tlt.ey Mwhat,e,300d. ko=. By ti,,,, túr,.e, we, wue, fa<i.lwi,
(Je.tJYj" yea/,j¡¡_d he, really /wi, a, wondujíd tifo. !11,j'aá, he, wi1t luwe,30,u, tojttit lwffily,
ifhujriouú /wl,,t/t3i.ve,r,, fw<., ti,,,, Uf.O/U}' he, 11.Udd. well,, úulcily tlt.ey kdped, fw<., oui:,
aJt.d he, tÍi.dJl/t30 tojttit. Aittl l3ot '"Y WÚt:Ji aJt.d beca.Hte-a,frri:-CW! a.it.jd!