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02 Dec 2022, 23:10
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Cameroon's education system would have been better if people had an incentive to get a good education.
1. Would be, had
2. Would have been, had
Which one is correct and why?
egmat
1. Would be, had
2. Would have been, had
Which one is correct and why?
egmat
05 Dec 2022, 05:59
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Diksha123456789
Hey Diksha123456789
Happy to help you with this.
There are two possible hypothetical ideas that can be created using this sentence. I'd like to start by explaining those two hypothetical/unreal conditionals, and then come to answering your question next.
Structure 1: Present Unreal Conditional
- Str: If + Simple Past (past plural in case of 'be') + then + would + base form of verb.
Example: If I were rich, I would travel the world.
Idea: This is called a present real conditional because it presents a hypothetical idea on two present events. I am not rich today. And so I do not travel the world (today). If I were rich, I would travel the world. (Opposite of present reality)
Structure 2: Past Unreal Conditional
- Str: If + Past Perfect + then + would + have + past participle/ed-form of verb.
Example: If I had left on time, I would not have missed the bus.
Idea: This is called the past unreal conditional because it presents a hypothetical idea on two past events. I did not leave on time. And so I missed the bus. This is the reality of what actually happened in the past. If I had left on time, I would not have missed the bus. (Opposite of past reality - hypothetical/imaginary/unreal idea)
Now that we understand these two types of Unreal Conditionals, let's take a look at this question:
- Cameroon's education system would have been better if people had an incentive to get a good education.
- 1. Would be, had
2. Would have been, had
Meaning Analysis:
- 1. The sentence seems to be talking about the current state of Cameroon's education system.
2. The education system appears to be poor right now since people don't have an incentive to get a good education.
3. So, the author wishes to convey a hypothetical idea that imagines the opposite of this present reality.
Answer Choice and Grammatical Analyses:
- 1. The past perfect tense of "have" is "had had". The simple past tense of "have" is "had".
2. Since both answer choices you've presented have the simple past "had", the choices directly hint at the Present Unreal Conditional.
3. Moreover, our meaning analysis also agrees that this sentence is trying to convey a Present Unreal Idea.
4. This means we need "would + base form of verb" in the "then-clause".
5. Since the verb is "be", we get "would be".
6. Hence, the answer is option 1.
I hope the above helps improve your understanding of the Past and Present Unreal Conditional. Please practice the above on a few official questions to cement this learning.
Happy Learning!
Abhishek
