English

CONDITIONALS – WISHES – UNREAL PAST

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense, then identify the types of conditionals.
1. If you (not put up) _______________this shelf, you won’t have anywhere to put your books.
2. If he (change) _______________the jobs, he would be a lot happier.
3. If I were you, I (tell) _______________her how you feel.
4. If you continue to shout so loudly, you (wake up) _______________the baby.
5. Even if he (ask) _______________them, they wouldn’t have agreed to come.
6. Unless you (feel) _______________any better, you can take the rest of the day off.
7. If she (not/threaten) _______________ him, he wouldn’t have left.
8. I (not/trust) _______________him if I were you.
9. If you’re patient for a few minutes, I (be able) _______________to finish this.
10. He (not/go) _______________with her if he had known she would behave so irresponsibly.
11. I wouldn’t have been able to do it unless she (help) _______________me.
12. Sometimes if you (take) _______________a chance, it pays off.
13. If he (wake up) _______________earlier, he wouldn’t have been late for work.
14. If they will go on making so much noise, I (have to) _______________punish them.
15. If we (intend) _______________to spend the day in London, we would have bought a day pass.
16. Keep your voice down in case he (overhear) _______________us.
17. If she (be) _______________more experienced, she would be more likely to get the job.
18. If the food (not/be) _______________so bad, we wouldn’t have complained.
19. Sales will increase provided that the advertising campaign (be) _______________successful.
20. If you (spend) _______________less on clothes, you would be able to save some money.
Exercise 2. Rewrite the following as conditional sentences.
1. You need to go to Egypt to see the Sphinx.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
2. John didn’t leave early so he didn’t get there on time.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
3. She used factor 12 suntan lotion as she gets sunburnt easily.

→If______________________________________________________________________________
4. The fax machine is broken so I’ll have to send it by post.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
5. Calling her might make her feel better.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
6. There’ll be an election if the president resigns.
→Providing________________________________________________________________________
7. More tickets need to be sold, otherwise the concert will be cancelled.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
8. You will have trouble selling your house if you’re not prepared to accept a lower offer.
→Unless____________________________________________________________________________
9. He canceled his trip because he had run out of money.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
10. Tom didn’t wear a coat and caught a cold.
→If______________________________________________________________________________
11. You need to study to pass this exam.
→Unless____________________________________________________________________________
12. You really ought to go somewhere sunnier to get a suntan.
→Unless __________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 3. Rewrite the following as mixed conditional sentences.
1. He is not honest person so he didn’t tell the truth.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
2. They were awake all night so they are tired now.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
3. You didn’t tell me earlier so we are not going to the cinema tonight.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
4. She didn’t cancel the milk so the milkman keeps delivering it.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
5. The ship left Plymouth yesterday so it will be in Spain now.
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→__________________________________________________________________________________
6. They were painting the house all day so they are covered in paint now.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
7. She didn’t do her homework so she’s in trouble with her teacher.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
8. She is so disorganized that she missed the deadline.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
9. The children were playing in the garden all day so they are very dirty now.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
10. He doesn’t take his job seriously so he wasn’t promoted.
→__________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1. I would have lent you my car but I didn’t know you needed to borrow it. (had)
→ If _________________________________ needed to borrow my car, I would have lent it to you.
2. As long as you are very careful, you can use my CD player. (provided)
→You can use my CD player _________________________________very careful.
3. If there isn’t any interpreter at the conference, she won’t be able to understand the speakers. (unless)
→She won’t be able to understand the speakers ______________________________at the conference.
4. He didn’t get the job because he was late for the interview. (would)
→If he hadn’t been late for the interview, he _________________________________job.
5. I only learnt to drive because you taught me. (never)
→I _________________________________drive if you hadn’t taught me.
6. You’d better see a doctor. (were)
→If _________________________________see a doctor.

7. Tim will be able to operate the machine but somebody must show him how. (only)
→Tim will be able to operate the machine _________________________________how.
8. She didn’t take an umbrella so she got completely soaked. (have)
→If she had taken an umbrella, she _________________________________soaked.
9. I will buy a new car but I must save enough money first. (save)
→ Provided _________________________________first, I will buy a new car.
10. She broke her leg so she couldn’t go skiing. (broken)
→ If _________________________________leg, she could have gone skiing.
11. Kay can’t be at home, otherwise she would have answered the phone. (would)
→If Kay _________________________________have answered the phone.
12. I would be grateful to receive any information you may have. (could)
→I would be grateful _________________________________any information you may have.
13. Karen can make the pie but she must have the recipe. (long)
→Karen can make the pie _________________________________the recipe.
14. If you see Miles, can you ask him to contact me immediately? (see)
→Should _________________________________ask him to contact me immediately.
15. Chris wants to phone his boss but he hasn’t got the number. (would )
→If Chris _________________________________phone his boss.
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1. Your mother’s worried about you. You should phone her. (better)
→ You ___________________________ your mother as she’s worried about you.
2. Will you ever think about finding a flat of your own? (time)
→It’s ___________________________ about finding a flat of your own.
3. Look at how he lives – he thinks he’s a millionaire. (if)
→He lives ___________________________a millionaire.
4. This summer, I would rather book a holiday in Monaco than Lyons. (prefer)
→This summer, I ___________________________a holiday in Monaco rather than Lyons.
5. Why didn’t you tell me yourself that you were leaving? (rather)
→I’d ___________________________me yourself that you were leaving.
6. She wants to be more like her mother. (wishes)

→She ___________________________more like her mother.
7. I should have taken that job in Canada last year. (only)
→If ___________________________that job in Canada last year,.
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8. You should have checked the oil before you set out. (better)

→It ___________________________you had checked the oil before you set out.
Exercise 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

Suppose they (cancel)_____________________the flight. How would you have got home?
We’d rather you (take out) _____________________separate holiday insurance.
I hate it when you speak to me as if I (be) _____________________a child.
She’d rather (not/show) _____________________him her passport.
It’s high time he (face)_____________________up to his responsibilities.
If only I (not/leave) _____________________the window open!
If they (go) _____________________out less, they’d have more money.
Chris prefers (work) _____________________mornings rather than evenings.
Suppose Helen (invite) _____________________your ex-boyfriend, would you still go to the party?
I’d rather Sam (not/play) _____________________his music so loud.
Sylvia wishes she (have) _____________________long hair.
She had only lived there three months but she spoke the language as if she (live) ________________
there longer.
13. Tom’s mother made him go to school although he would rather (stay) _________________ at home.
14. I feel a bit sick now. I wish I (eat) _______________so much.

15. He much prefers (listen) _______________to CDs to (go) _______________to live concerts.
16. I’d prefer (ride) ______________my bicycle to the shops rather than (take) ______________the bus.
17. I’d rather (live) _______________alone than (share)_________ a flat with a stranger.
18. I prefer (talk) _______________with friends rather than (watch) _______________television.
19. If she (work) _______________harder, she wouldn’t have failed her exams.
20. You’d better (go) _______________to bed as we have to be up early tomorrow.
Exercise 7. Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1. I didn’t pass my exams and now I can’t go to university. (wish)
→I _________________________ my exams; then I could go to university.
2. I was about to buy the painting, when I realized it was a fake. (if)
→I would have bought the painting _________________________it was a fake.
3. I didn’t see the TV programme because I didn’t know it was on. (known)
→ If _________________________the TV programme was on, I would have seen it.
4. I think you should go on holiday. (were)
→If ________________________, I would go on holiday.
5. You shouldn’t have told Sally my secret. (told)
→I’d _________________________Sally my secret.
6. You’d think he was a politician. (though)
→He behaves _________________________a politician.
7. You should be in bed now. It’s late. (went)
→It’s _________________________to bed.
8. It would have been better if you had passed on the message. (only)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

9.
10.
11.
12.

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→ If _________________________the message.
9. If the teacher asked you to answer that question, what would you say? (asked)
→Suppose _________________________to answer that question, what would you say?
10. It’s a pity it’s raining. (stop)
→ I _________________________raining.
11. She couldn’t tell you because she’s didn’t know. (would)
→Had _________________________told you.
12. Why did I listen to John? He always tells lies. (listened)
→ If _________________________to John. He always tells lies.
13. We should have left by now if we don’t want to miss the bus. (time)
→ It’s _________________________if we don’t want to miss the bus.
14. I would have liked you to have informed my parents about my change of plan. (rather)
→ I _________________________my parents about my change of plan.
15. It would have been better if they had got the earlier train. (only)
→If _________________________the earlier train.
16. You ought to have set a wedding date by now. (time)
→ It’s _________________________a wedding date.
Exercise 8. Find the word which should not be in the sentence.

1. Unless you not know the details, you can’t reach a decision.
2. If they will finish this assignment on time, they’ll be rewarded.
3. Even if he offered to make up for the damage, otherwise, I wouldn’t accept.
4. If were I had accepted the job, I would be earning a lot of money now.
5. If she were be me, she would have done exactly the same.
6. You won’t be allowed to attend the reception unless you will receive an invitation.
7. I wish if they would stop criticizing our efforts to change things.
8. I’ll give them my new address in case they will want to forward my post.
9. If only he had been taken our advice.
10. As long as you will promise to behave yourself, you can stay overnight at your friend’s.
11. I wish for Sarah would give up her dream of becoming an opera singer.
12. He looked as if that he hadn’t slept for days.
13. It’s time they had decided what they want to do.
14. She’s better to take a course in French before she moves to France.
15. I’d rather they had stayed at a hotel the next time they’re in town.
16. John would rather to buy a new car than a second-hand one.
17. She would prefer to have invest the money rather than spend it.
18. Unless we will have the car repaired, we won’t be able to make our journey.
19. Don’t you wish you were being someone famous?
20. Had if I wanted longer, I would have seen the parade.
Exercise 9. Phrasal verbs.
look after: take care of
Fill in the correct particles.
look down on: despise (opp: look up to)
1. I’ve been looking ______ my diamond ring
everywhere.
look for: search for
2. The hotel manager will look ______your complaint.
look forward to: anticipate
3. I must look ______this essay before I hand it in

look into: investigate
tomorrow.
look
on:
1.
Be
a
spectator/2.
Regard/consider
4. Now that he’s rich, he looks ______all his friends
who still work at the factory.
look out (for): watch out
5. He looks ______his father who he considers to be a
look over: inspect carefully
hero.
look through: study carefully (sth written)
6. Look ______for sharks when you go swimming.
look up: 1.look for an address, name, etc in
the relevant book or list/2. Visit sb after a
7. Look ______her phone number in the directory if you
lapse of time (specially sb living at some
can’t remember it.
distance)
8. John looks ______the children while Mary goes to
make for: move quickly towards
work.
make up: 1. Invent (story/poem, etc)/2.
9. I’m sure he made the whole story ______.
Make an amount complete/3. Compose/4.
10. I’ll make ______forgetting out anniversary.

Reconcile/5. Prepare (by mixing)
11. We decided to make ______the nearest beach.
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make oneself up: put cosmetics on
make up for: compensate for
make out: 1. Complete, fill
Distinguish/3. Understand

in/2.

12. He made ______the cheque to me personally.
13. Your writing is so bad, I can’t make ______what you

have written.

14. She spends hours making herself ______every

morning.
Exercise 10. Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1. Although his mother warned him, the boy continued to play in the road. (despite)
→ The boy continued to play in the road _______________________his mother.
2. Their garden is much bigger than ours. (nearly)
→Our garden is _______________________theirs.
3. He could read before he was three years old. (able)

→ He _______________________before he was three years old.
4. She hired a professional gardener to prune the trees. (had)
→She _______________________a professional gardener.
5. I won’t go with you unless you let me pay my own way. (if)
→ I won’t go with you _______________________me pay my own way.
6. I regret ever telling her about my plans. (wish)
→ I _______________________her about my plans.
7. He can’t tolerate his neighbors’ behavior much longer. (put)
→He _______________________his neighbors’ behavior much longer.
8. She started to ride when she was ten years old. (been)
→She _______________________she was ten years old.
9. “You really shouldn’t have said that to her,” he said to me. (criticized)
→ He _______________________that to her.
10. They hired him because of his excellent qualifications. (due)
→They hired him _______________________had excellent qualifications.
11. He was late every day so he lost his job. (result)
→He was late everyday _______________________ lost his job.
12. In general, I’d much rather walk than ride a bike. (walking)
→In general, I _______________________a bike.
13. He hasn’t signed the contract yet. (still)
→The contract _______________________signed.
Exercise 11. Fill in the missing preposition(s).
1. The contents of the parcel were broken
15. Typewriters are going ________use as
________arrival.
they’re being replaced by computers.
2. The situation is getting ________control, we
16. The politician would only agree to speak to
must take action immediately.
me ________the record.

3. The policeman took his family to the theatre
17. Let’s go ________a cruise around he
as he was ________duty.
Mediterranean.
4. We heard about the plane crash ________the
18. Drinking alcohol is ________the law in
news.
many countries.
5. He hasn’t played tennis for a while so he’s
19. I’m sure the bus will arrive ________long.
________practice.
20. This must be posted ________delay.
6. The new safety measures are still
21. I was ________the impression he was
________discussion.
abroad.
7. You’re supposed to avoid eating sweets as
22. He doesn’t like to carry cash, so he buys
you’re ________a diet.
everything ________credit.
8. The balloon landed ________a farm quite
23. This newspaper is two weeks ________date!
unexpectedly.
24. I’m writing ________regard to your recent
9. The parachutist landed ________a field.
application.
10. You are ________arrest; you have the right
25. ________our
surprise, he won the
to call your lawyer.

competition.
11. All medicines must be kept ________reach
26. They could recite the entire play
of children.
________memory.
12. The factory is ________fire; vacate the area!
27. Hurry
up
please.
We’re
a
bit
13. My favorite china teapot smashed ________
________schedule.
pieces on the floor.
28. ________second thoughts, I’d rather not go
14. Someone planted a bomb ________a
out tonight.
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platform in Victoria Station.

Exercise 12. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.
If you (1. want)_________ to see the highest waterfall in the world, you have to go to Venezuela.
There, you (1.find) _________the Angel Falls – a spectacular sight. We (3.go) _________there last year and

we were very impressed. We (4.walk) _________in the countryside for about an hour when suddenly we (5.
hear) _________the sound of water. As we (6.approach) _________the waterfall, we (7.can not) _________
believe how loud the water was. It was the first time we (8. ever/see) _________a waterfall and if we had
known how amazing it was, we (9. take) _________a video camera with us. We hope we (10. return)
_________one day to see this wonder of nature.
Exercise 13. Fill in the correct form of the infinitive or the –ing form.
In the past decade academics have been involved in (1. investigate) _________differences between
men and women. Researchers have been especially interested in (2.discover) _________what women can
(3.do) _________better than men. As far as language is concerned, studies show that girls begin (4.talk)
_________before boys and are capable of (5. produce) _________more varied and sophisticated sentences.
In addition to (6.have) _________a better command of the language, women also appear (7.
have)______better social skills and are more likely(8.be) _________complimentary than men. Another area
that has been investigated is how men and women lead. Women try (9. share) _________power and make
their employees (10.feel) _________more worthwhile. Men, on the other hand, like (11. demonstrate)
_________their authority more formally and seem (12. care) _________more about hierarchy. However, it is
worth (13. remember) _________that study results reflect averages, and there will always be exceptions.
Exercise 14. Read the text below and decide which word best fits each space.
Diamonds are Forever
It has been (0.)______ practice in recent years for a man to buy his fiancée a diamond to (1.)
______their engagement. Diamond rings have been bought by the aristocracy since the (2.) ______of the
century, but until the 1950’s they were considered an expensive and (3.) ______accessory for a workingclass wedding. (4.) ______, it was around this time that De Bees, the biggest producers of diamonds in the
world, decided that they needed to (5.) ______their market. As a (6.) ______they launched an advertising
campaign which was (7.) ______at couples with a slightly smaller budget. It was one of the most successful
campaigns in the company’s (8.) ______. For this campaign, the advertisers wanted to sell the idea that, (9.)
______diamonds are an expensive luxury, they are also the (10.) ______of everlasting love. Thus a diamond
engagement ring was supposed to signify the husband’s life-long (11.) ______to his wife. The idea was
expressed in the (12.)______which was first conceived by De Bee’s advertisers: “Diamonds are Forever”.
This (13.) ______to be highly profitable because the public bought the idea and (14.) ______bought
diamond rings by the thousands. De Beers, who now have almost total (15.) ______over diamond
production worldwide, have never looked back.

1. A. usual
B. common
C. average
D. regular
2. A. prove
B. notice
C. show
D. mark
3. A. beginning
B. first
C. origin
D. front
4. A. unwanted
B. unnecessary
C. invaluable
D. needless
5. A. Although
B. However
C. While
D. When
6. A. stretch
B. grow
C. continue
D. extend
7. A. fact
B. result
C. conclusion
D. reaction
8. A. aimed
B. pointed

C. guided
D. led
9. A. history
B. past
C. story
D. tale
10. A. even
B. but
C. although
D. nevertheless
11. A. post
B. signal
C. fact
D. symbol
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A. devotion
B. trust
C. relationship
D. faith
A. word
B. phrase
C. part
D. remark
A. turned

B. proved
C. ended
D. confirmed
A. after
B. though
C. consequently
D. following
A. force
B. check
C. control
D. strength
Exercise 15. Give the correct form of the word in brackets.
A really (0.comfort)____________ thing when you’re alone abroad and surrounded by (1.strange)
____________ is to receive a letter from a friend or (2. relate) ____________from home. It’s always
(3.interest) ____________to know what people are up to. But in responding, the hardest thing is to
(4.summary) ____________a whole new way of life and (5.collect) ____________of ideas, not to mention
new friends and unfamiliar (6.surround) ____________. Those receiving your letters can never have a full
(7.understand) ___________of your new job and your (8. day) ____________routine; but you can make
the picture clearer by providing a (9. describe) ____________of these, adding a (10.vary) ____________of
unexpected details.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

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