Discussion
In the sentence below, a part is printed in bold. Choose the alternative that best replaces it. If no improvement is needed, choose ‘No correction required’.
If I would have known about the delay, I would have taken another train.
Answer: A
Correct answer: had known
In a third conditional - an unreal condition in the past - the if clause takes the past perfect and the main clause takes would have plus the past participle. So: If I had known about the delay, I would have taken another train. The error here is putting would in the if clause. The rule of thumb is that would never appears in the if clause of a conditional; it belongs in the result clause. The three conditionals are worth holding together. First: if it rains, we will cancel - a real possibility. Second: if it rained, we would cancel - unlikely or hypothetical present. Third: if it had rained, we would have cancelled - contrary to what actually happened in the past. Only the third fits a sentence about a train already missed.
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