1. Match the beginning of each sentence with the most suitable ending.
1 If you had been promoted, 2 If you were rude to the boss, 3 If you were promoted, 4 If you hadn’t been promoted, 5 If you had lost your job, 6 If you worked from home, 7 If you were fired, |
a you’d be able to change the system. b would you have left the firm? c you wouldn’t need to wear a suit. d you wouldn’t get a reference. e would you have made any changes? f you’d probably regret it later. g you’d have been very upset. |
Answer
1 e 2 f 3 a 4 b 5 g 6 c 7 d
2. Complete the conversations with suitable verbs.
1
SEAN: Why didn’t you go to the lecture last night?
JIM: I didn’t know about it.
SEAN: So …would you have gone…… if you …had known……?
2
JILL: Jane’s got a PhD, hasn’t she?
MILLIE: Yeah. I don’t know why she works in this lab. I ………………………. something worthwhile if I ………………………. her qualifications.
JILL: What kind of work would you do?
MILLIE: Oh, I don’t know exactly. But if I ………………………. Jane, I ………………………. to do original research.
3
SAM: Why did you ask Veronica about her boyfriend? It really upset her.
MIKE: Well, I didn’t realise they’d split up.
SAM: You didn’t know, then?
MIKE: No! If I ………………………., I ………………………. her about him.
4
TIM: Hey, I’ve got a text from Cheryl!
PAT: Look out! Mind the step.
TIM: Ouch! I’ve hurt my knee.
PAT: Well, that was your own fault. You ………………………. it if you ………………………. that text.
5
JOHN: Do you love me?
ROSE: You know I do.
JOHN: OK, but would you still ………………………. me if I ………………………. poor?
ROSE: Probably. But fortunately you’re rich.
JOHN: Well, yes, I am. But if I ………………………. all my money, what ……………………….?
ROSE: I’d say goodbye.
JOHN: Now you’re joking.
ROSE: Oh no, I’m not!
Answer
Example answers:
2 ’d/would do … had … were/was … ’d/would want
3 ’d/had known … wouldn’t have asked
4 wouldn’t have hurt … hadn’t been reading
5 love … were/was … lost … would you do
3. Read the article. For each number, write a comment beginning with If.
CHARLIE: Well, congratulations Tanya!
TANYA: Thank you. Of course, we’re very excited about getting married and frantically busy too, needless to say.
CHARLIE: I’m sure all your fans are longing to know how you met your fiancé, Dr Radani.
TANYA: Well, it’s a funny story really. (1) You know I did a world tour last year? That meant I had to spend five months travelling. (2) And I didn’t have a holiday last year so I got terribly tired and stressed. (3) My manager panicked because he had contracted me to record a new album after the tour. (4) Anyway, the tour was such a huge success that I was able to postpone the recording for two months. I was really relieved. (5) My manager sent me to a luxury spa hotel for a complete rest. And I met this wonderful man, Hossein. He’s a scientist. (6) He told me he should have been doing research in California, but he was recovering from a bad skiing accident. (7) We were the only guests on our own, so we started talking. (8) He didn’t know who I was. He didn’t treat me like a star. He made me laugh. It was such a change. And that was it really. We found we’d fallen in love. (9) Wasn’t it lucky my manager panicked? That’s how I met my fiancé!
CHARLIE: And what about your wedding plans?
TANYA: Ah, they’re completely secret.
1 If she hadn’t done a world tour last year, she wouldn’t have spent five months travelling.
2 ……………………………………………………………
3 ……………………………………………………………
4 ……………………………………………………………
5 ……………………………………………………………
6 ……………………………………………………………
7 ……………………………………………………………
8 ……………………………………………………………
Answer
Example answers:
2 If she’d had a holiday last year, she wouldn’t have got terribly tired and stressed.
3 If her manager hadn’t contracted her to record a new album after the tour, he wouldn’t have panicked.
4 If the tour hadn’t been such a huge success, she wouldn’t have been able to postpone the recording for two months.
5 If her manager hadn’t sent her to a luxury spa hotel for a complete rest, she wouldn’t have met Hossein.
6 If Hossein hadn’t been recovering from a bad skiing accident, he would have been doing research in California.
7 If they hadn’t been the only guests on their own, they wouldn’t have started talking.
8 If he’d known who she was, he would have treated her like a star.
9 If her manager hadn’t panicked, she wouldn’t have met her fiancé.
4. What would you say in each situation? Begin each sentence with If.
Answer
Example answers:
3 If I’d come home earlier, I wouldn’t be so tired.
4 If I’d had some breakfast, I’d be able to concentrate.
5 If I’d remembered to buy tickets last week, we could go to the concert. / we could have gone to the concert.
6 If I hadn’t missed the bus, I wouldn’t have been fired.
7 If I hadn’t broken my leg (when I went skiing), I could go to the wedding. / I could have gone to the wedding.
8 If we’d stopped to buy some petrol, we wouldn’t have run out.