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.

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