Conditionals Type 3, If Clause Type 3 Definition and Example Sentences

Conditionals Type 3, If Clause Type 3 Definition and Example Sentences

Conditionals Type 3

Conditionals Type 3 differs both in sentence structure and in the meaning of the sentence. It can be one of the most difficult grammar topics when doing Type 3 exercises. In other words, If Clause Type 3 sentences have the meaning of complaining. To put it more clearly, it is possible to explain as follows; it tells how the effect of a past situation, that is, the condition, will be in the presence or absence of it. It refers to the imaginary talking of events or situations that are completely past, that is, complaints about the past situation. If Clause Type 3 is used to express complaints about past situations, regrets, things that are unlikely to happen.

To better understand Conditionals Type 3, it would be a good start to examine the “If” clause, which is considered as a sub-clause, and the main clause structurally.

• Subordinate clauses starting with “If” are formed with Past Perfect Tense or Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
• While forming the main sentence, “Could”, “Would” and “Might” are used together with “have” and the third structure of the verb.

NOTE: To create the Conditionals Type 3 sentence, the tense is completely related to the past tense and it must make sense about the past event or situations semantically.

Conditionals Type 3 Examples for Consolidation

It will be useful to examine the structure and meaning of the examples for Conditionals Type 3, which is difficult to find among other types.

• If you had studied hard enough for the exam, you could have been first in the exam.
• If your brother hadn’t been rude to us, my family would have liked him very much.
• If you hadn’t made us wait so long, we could have caught the bus.
• If you had married me, you would have been the happiest person in the world.
• If you had listened carefully to the teacher, you would have understood what she meant to you.
• If they had not warned us, bad things would have happened to us.

NOTE: If there is “Had” per sentence in Type 3, “If” is not found in the sentence. The absence of “If” in the sentence does not mean that it is not Type 3 anyway.

• Hadn’t we missed the bus, we could have made it to work.
• Hadn’t she given her all, she wouldn’t have been able to do this job.

NOTE: In If Clause Type 3 clauses, as in other types, subordinate clauses and main clauses can be replaced. In this case, there is no need for a comma separating these two sentences.