english grammar
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GRAMMAR BOOK<br />
The Perfect Conditional / Third Conditional<br />
‘If’ + subject + past perfect, subject + ‘would’ + ‘have’ + past participle<br />
If I had seen you, I would have said hello.<br />
Describes hypothetical situations in the past. These situations are in the past and therefore they are impossible<br />
and never happened.<br />
Example:<br />
Last month Gary was in hospital for an operation. Liz didn’t know this, so she didn’t go to visit him. They met a<br />
few days ago. Liz said:<br />
‘If I had known you were in hospital, I would have gone to visit you.’<br />
What Liz said is hypothetical because the real situation is that she didn’t know he was in hospital.<br />
The Perfect Conditional using ‘should’<br />
Structure<br />
‘Should’ + ‘have’ + past participle<br />
Use<br />
Regret or reproach (to blame someone)<br />
Example<br />
I should have studied harder. (regret)<br />
You should have gotten up earlier. (reproach)<br />
(unfulfilled) expectation or assumption<br />
regarding the past<br />
You should have received my e-mail.<br />
I sent it half an hour ago.<br />
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