Third Conditional – If + past perfect, would / could / might + have + past participle – is often used to talk about the feelings of regret and relief. Remember that the if-clause is hypothetical – it did not happen. Therefore:
We express regret when the result clause has a positive meaning – i.e. something positive did not happen:
If I had bought that new dress, I would have looked great. BUT I didn’t…, so I didn’t look great. = 🙁
We express relief when the result clause has a negative meaning – i.e. something negative did not happen:
If I had bought that new dress, I would have looked awful. BUT I didn’t…, so I didn’t look awful. = 🙂
(Note – it doesn’t matter whether the result clause has a positive or negative verb form.)
Practice expressing regret and relief with Third Conditional using the free printable worksheets below:
Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/express-regret-and-relief-with-third-conditional-1.pdf
Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/express-regret-and-relief-with-third-conditional-2.pdf
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