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Lesson planB150 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
If I Had Known: the third conditional
Students use the third conditional to talk about past decisions and regrets, then write about an important decision and what might have happened instead.
Third conditional · Decisions · Life
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use third conditional accurately
- Learn and use 11 words and phrases in one set: Decisions, chances and mistakes
- Read for detail: the job I didn't take
- Writing task: a decision that changed things
Stages · 50 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about decisions and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–3
- 5 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 4
- 10 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Imagining a different past
- Use the third conditional to imagine a past that didn't happen: If I had left earlier, I would have caught the train. (I didn't leave earlier, so I didn't catch it.)
- Form: if + had + past participle, would have + past participle.
- You can use could have or might have for something possible: If you had asked me, I could have helped.
Watch out
- Don't use would have in the if-part: If I had known (not If I would have known).
- The if-part can come second, with no comma: I would have called you if I had had your number.
- In speaking, had and would are often short: If I'd known, I'd have come.
Study tips
- Think of three things that happened to you last year. For each one, say what would have happened if it hadn't happened.
- Check both halves of every sentence: had + past participle after if, would have + past participle in the other half.
Glossary
- Decisions, chances and mistakes11 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Words for decisions
Match each word or phrase with its meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
What would have happened?
Write the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- a
If I (know) about the party, I would have come.
- b
If we had left earlier, we (not / miss) the train.
- c
She (get) the job if she had prepared better for the interview.
- d
If you (tell) me about the problem, I could have helped you.
- e
I (not / accept) the job if I had known about the long hours.
- f
If it (not / rain), we would have had the picnic in the park.
- g
What would you have done if you (lose) your passport?
3
Make the sentences
Put the words in the right order to make a third conditional sentence.
- a
Tap the words in order…
- b
Tap the words in order…
- c
Tap the words in order…
- d
Ana refused the job, so she didn't move to Canada.
Tap the words in order…
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correction: the corrected word(s) or the whole sentence.
- a
If I would have known, I would have helped you.
- b
If she had studied, she would passed the exam.
- c
If we had took a taxi, we would have arrived on time.
- d
If you had asked me, I would have help you.
- e
I need to take a decision soon.
- f
I did a mistake in my job application.
- g
If I had listened to my teacher's advise, I would have passed.
- h
I applied to a job at the bank.
5
Read: the job I didn't take
Read the text. Then choose the correct answer.
Five years ago, Ana was offered a job in Canada. It was a great opportunity, but she was worried about leaving her family, so she refused it. Instead, she stayed in her home town and took a job at a local bank. At first she wasn't sure she had made the right decision. Sometimes she thought, "If I had accepted the offer, I would have learned a lot and travelled more." But then something lucky happened. At the bank she met Leo. Today he's her husband, and two years after they met, they opened a small café together. "If I had gone to Canada, I would never have met Leo," she says. "And we wouldn't have opened the café." Ana doesn't think about the job in Canada any more. She still believes it's good to take risks, but she's happy with the choice she made.
- a
Why did Ana refuse the job in Canada?
- b
Where did Ana work after she refused the offer?
- c
According to Ana, what would have happened if she had gone to Canada?
- d
What do Ana and Leo do now?
- e
How does Ana feel about her decision now?
6
Write: a decision that changed things
Write about a decision.
Think about an important decision in your life, or in the life of someone you know (8–10 sentences). What did you decide? What would have happened if you had decided differently? Use the third conditional at least three times. Word box: opportunity · take a risk · change your mind · accept · refuse · make a decision · make a mistake · mistake · lucky · give advice · apply for a job Example: When I was eighteen, I had the opportunity to study abroad, but I refused it. If I had accepted, I would have learned another language. My parents didn't give advice because they wanted me to make a decision on my own…
Suggested minimum: 80 words
0 words · aim for at least 80
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 11 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in one set.
Decisions, chances and mistakes
- opportunity
- a chance to do something good
- take a risk
- to do something that could go wrong
- change your mind
- to decide something different from before
- accept
- to say yes to something you are offered
- refuse
- to say no to something you are offered
- make a decision
- to choose what to do after thinking about it
- apply for a job
- to ask for a job, often by sending a form or a letter
- mistake
- something that is wrong, or a wrong action
- make a mistake
- to do something wrong without wanting to
- give advice
- to tell someone what you think they should do
- lucky
- having good things happen by chance
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