SKOOLYST Pakistan - Find Best Schools Near You

Easy 1 Mark

English Conditional Sentences

Choose the correct sentence.

A If they had left earlier, they would have avoided the traffic.

B If they left earlier, they would have avoided the traffic.

C If they had left earlier, they would avoid the traffic.

D If they had left earlier, they avoided the traffic.

This past situation never happened, so both the if-clause ("had left") and main clause ("would have avoided") must use the third conditional pattern.

Reference: Skoolyst English Grammar Guide , Page 4

Both halves of a third conditional sentence look backward in time, not forward.