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
