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Third Conditional (Unreal Conditional)
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What Is the Third Conditional?
Conditionals–Third Conditional
Third conditional sentences are used to express how the present would be if something different had happened in the past.
Third conditional sentences are commonly used to:
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imagine something that could have happened in the past
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express regrets about the past
The third conditional is also called the unreal conditional because both the condition and the result are hypothetical/imaginary.
The usual structure of third conditional sentences is:
Conditional sentences contain two clauses:
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Conditional clause (commonly called the if-clause)
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the condition/situation
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dependent clause—it needs the hypothetical result to form a complete sentence
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contains a conditional clause marker—subordinating conjunction such as the words “if,” “when,” “as,” etc.
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Main clause
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the result
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independent clause—makes sense on its own
Third Conditional Uses
Express Regrets About the Past
Imagine Something that Could Have Happened in the Past
