UNIT 13: GRAMMAR



Unreal time



Sometimes we use the past simple and continuous to refer to the present, the future or a general

situation.



Sometimes we use the past perfect simple and continuous to refer to a hypothetical past that

didn’t actually happen.



For all of the situations below with the past simple and past continuous, with the verb to be

after I and he/she/it, there is a choice of was or were.



I wish I was rich.



I wish I were rich.



Both was and were are common in informal English but were is sometimes more

appropriate in formal, written English and is always used in the phrase If I were you...

Conditionals

For hypothetical and unlikely current,

future or general conditions (see Unit

11 for more information)

For hypothetical past conditions (see

Unit 11 for more information)

I wouldn’t accept a job unless I was absolutely sure

what the salary was.

If you were travelling

to Russia, would you get

troubles before you left or when toy arrive?

If I had known, I would have taken some dollars with

me.

If I had been running the bank, I would have given

you an overdraft!

imagine/ what if/ suppose/ supposing

To consider hypothetical or unlikely

current, future or general situations

To consider hypothetical or unlikely

situations

Supposing you were given ten million euros, what

would you spend it on?

What if you were walking down the street and you

suddenly found a wallet? Would you hand it in?

Suppose you had won the lottery last night. What

would you have done?

Imagine you’d been working there for 40 years. What

kind of pension would you have got?

We can also use a present tense instead of past simple or past continuous after these words and

phrases. This indicates that the situation is more likely to happen.



Supposing you become a millionaire, how will it change your life? (more likely)



Supposing you become a millionaire, how would it change your life? ( less likely)

as if/ as though

For current, future or general untrue,

hypothetical comparisons

She acts as if/ though she was a millionaire.

Colin acts as if/though he were making a million