Lengua extranjera.

Inglés C1
E.U. DE EDUCACIÓN DE SORIA

Unreal time
Unreal time encompasses a variety of verb forms used in subordinate clauses that express
different states of unreality, such as wish, emotion, possibility or actions that have not taken
place in reality. We are going to focus in the unreal past tenses and the use of would for
envisioned situations.

Sometimes we use the past simple and continuous to refer to the present, the future or a
general situation. Similarly, we sometimes use the past perfect simple and continuous to refer
to a hypothetical past that didn't truly happen. Actually, we are not using these past tenses,
but the past subjunctive, which has the same form.

We normally use would as a modal verb with different modalities, to speak about the future in
the past, and to express the conditional mood. However, we can also use it for other functions
(desire, preference, regret...) related to the subjunctive mood.

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
We can use a past tense in conditional sentences (with if, imagine, what if, suppose...) to
express a hypothetical and unlikely current, future or general condition (2nd conditional) and
hypothetical past situations (3rd conditionals).

You will find examples and more information about this in your notes on conditional
sentences.

WISHES
Wishes about other people's attitude or behaviour
Subject 1+ wish + subject 2+ would + bare infinitive + complements

I wish they would offer me a pay rise.

She wishes he would be more involved in the project.

Wishes about now, the future or generally

Subject 1+ wish + subject 1/2+ past + complements

I wish you were here.

Simon wishes he was earning a better salary.

Wishes about the past

Subject 1+ wish + subject 1/2+ past perfect + complements

I wish I had bought a lottery ticket this morning.

Carla wished she had been keeping a much closer eye on her investments.
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Alternatives
We can use the expression if only instead of subject + wish:
If only I could find a job that pays well.
We don't use wish to express desires about a real possible future. We can use hope
instead:
I wish the cheque arrives tomorrow.
I hope the cheque arrives tomorrow.

OTHER STRUCTURES
As if / As though
We use these linking words to introduce a subordinate clause that expresses current, future
or general untrue or hypothetical comparisons (with a verb in past simple or past continuous
tenses) or past untrue or hypothetical comparisons (with a verb in past perfect):

She acts as if she was a millionaire.

Colin acts as though he were making a million pounds a month.
Tony looks as if someone had just handed him a million euros.

Watch out!
When the verb before as if / as though is in a present tense, we only use a past tense for
comparisons that we know aren't true. For comparisons that are possible, we use a
present tense after as if / as though. Compare:
She behaves as if she were really wealthy. (She's not really wealthy.)
She looks as if she is really wealthy. (It's very probable that she's wealthy.)
When the verb before as if / as though is in a past tense, we use a past tense for
comparisons that are either true or hypothetical.

It's time
We use the expression it's time plus a clause with the verb in a past tense to suggest that
something should be done in the immediate future.

It's time the children went to bed.

We can add high or about to emphasize:

It's high time I went home.

It's about time we were leaving.

We can use an infinitive after it's time, but not after it's high/about time:

It's time to think about getting a loan.

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It's high/about time we thought of getting a loan.

Would rather / sooner

We can use this expression to talk about current, general or future preference, when
combined with the past simple or continuous tenses, or about a past preference, when used
with the past perfect:

Jan would rather we bought a house than carried on renting.

Would you sooner I was begging in the streets?
We'd rather you hadn't lent him the money.

Watch out!
Would rather/sooner + past simple/continuous is only used to talk about preference
regarding someone else. When there is no change of subject, we will use a full infinitive:
She's rather not borrow any money from us.

Let's practise!

1/ Write the verbs in brackets in the correct form in each gap.

The importance of nothing
There is a lateral thinking question which asks: "If the Romans (1) _____________ (have) all
the technology we have today, why would they not have been able to get the moon?" (2)
_____________ (we/ be) to think about this logically, we would probably be unable to come
up with a satisfactory reason. However, with lateral thinking, there is a perfectly reasonable
explanation. (3) _____________ (the Romans/ be) as technologically advanced as we are, they
would indeed be stuck here on Earth. Why? Because if, 2,000 years ago, they (4) ___________
(employ) a Roman centurion to count down their Roman space rocket, he would have started
at ten (in Latin, of course), got down to one and then stopped. The Romans had no word for
"zero", so there would have been no "Lift-off!"

Of course, the truth is that these hypothetical Romans (5) _____________(have) the number
"zero", it would be impossible for them to have all our technology. If the concept of zero (6)
_____________ (develop), we would not have computers today. Modern maths and physics
relies absolutely on there being a numeral to represent nothingness. It may seem obvious to us
now that zero should exist, but many philosophers in the past were very uncomfortable with
the idea. The ancient Greeks tied themselves in logical knots by stating: "If nothing (7)
_____________ (be) a number, then it would be something. And if it (8) _____________ (do)
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become something, then it would no longer be nothing." If it (9) _____________ (be) for an
Indian mathematician called Brahmagupta, who knows what would have happened? He wrote
the earliest known text stating that zero was a number. If he (10) _____________ (do), we
might not have set foot on the moon either.

2/ Write the verbs in brackets in the correct form in each gap to make hypothetical
situations.
1. Supposing you ___________ (have) the chance of spend a year in space, would you take
it?
2. What if we ___________ (decide) to run away right now and never come back?
3. Suppose all your friends ___________ (say) bad things about you behind your back and
you found out. What would you do?
4. Imagine you ___________ (have) any money or any means of getting any. What on
earth could you do?
5. What if the Internet ___________ (invent)? Wouldn't that be weird?
6. Supposing the sun ___________ (stop) shining right now, how long would it take for us
to realise?
7. Imagine we ___________ (just/ tell) that a huge meteor was on its way to Earth. What
would be the best thing to do?
8. Suppose you ___________ (can) travel back in time. Where would you go?
9. What if everyone in the world ___________ (speak) the same language?
10. Suppose it ___________ (prove) that aliens existed and were living among us!
11. I do realise it'll probably never happen but imagine her song ___________ (become)
really popular!
12. What if you ___________ (give) three wishes by a genie in a bottle? What would you
wish for?
13. Supposing you ___________ (wake) up one morning and found you'd gone back in time,
how would you feel?
14. I know we can't travel faster than the speed of light but suppose for a moment that we
___________ (be) able to.
15. Imagine that humans ___________ (can) speak. How do you think we'd communicate?

3/ Write the verbs in brackets in the correct form in each gap. When a situation is
hypothetical or unlikely, use unreal tenses.
1. Dave talks as though he ___________ (grow up) in the UK, but he actually only moved
here three months ago.
2. I was such a mess when I got home I looked as if I ___________ (drag) through a hedge
backwards!
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3. It was such a bad case of flu that I honestly felt as if I ___________ (go) to die.
4. When I saw Corin on TV last night, it felt as if he ___________ (do) chat shows for ages. I
can't believe this was his first one!
5. Hardip looked as if he ___________ (have) the worst possible news. In fact, he'd failed
his finals.
6. Don't you think Maria sometimes looks as though she ___________ (wish) she'd been
born in another century?
7. Rupert often dresses as though he ___________ (roll) in money but he's actually on the
dole.
8. You kids are behaving as if it ___________ (be) a school night. It is, you know!
9. How can you sit there as if nothing ___________ (happen)?

4/ Make each of these statements or questions as polite as possible by using past

tenses.
1. What time _____________ (you, want) to be woken tomorrow morning?

2. I _____________ (look) for an engagement present for a young couple.

3. We _____________ (wonder) whether you _____________ (want) to go out this

evening.

4. Excuse me, sir. _____________ (you, plan) to park there for long?

5. _____________ (you, wish) to see me about something, Mr Patel?

6. _____________ (you, look) for anything in particular?

7. _____________ ( you, want) milk and sugar in your tea?

8. I _____________ (hope) you _____________ (give) me a hand tomorrow.

9. How long _____________ ( you, intend) to stay here?

10. I _____________ (wonder) if you _____________ (pay) by credit card, madam.

5/ Write a word or short phrase in each gap so that each second sentence has a
similar meaning to the first sentence.
1. We'd prefer the successful candidate to have previous experience in the field.

We'd rather the successful candidate _____________ previous experience in the field.
2. Would you prefer me to come back later?

Would you rather _____________ later?

3. To be honest, I'd prefer you not to tell anyone about this.

To be honest, I'd rather _____________ anyone about this.

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4. I'd prefer us to get a new kitchen rather than go on an expensive holiday.

I'd sooner _____________ a new kitchen than _____________ on an expensive holiday.

5. Dad said he'd prefer Brian to be living nearer home and I agree with him.

Dad said he'd rather Brian _____________ nearer home and I agree with him.
6. I would prefer her to be sent on a training course rather than sacked.

I would rather _____________ on a training course than sacked.

7. I'd prefer us not to talk about this right now, if you don't mind.

I'd sooner _____________ about this right now, if you don't mind.
8. Of course I would have preferred you to tell me the truth!

Of course I would rather _____________ me the truth!

9. I think Jeanne would definitely prefer to have a traditional wedding.

I think Jeanne would definitely rather _____________ a traditional wedding.

10. We would have preferred them not to have stayed so long, that's true.

We would sooner _____________ so long, that's true.

6/ Circle the correct word or phrase. If both are correct, circle both.
1. All my friends have got mobiles. I wish I have/had one too!
2. Don't you sometimes wish you ran/were running this company?
3. If only we didn't leave/hadn't left the map at home!
4. If only we don't/didn't have to go to school tomorrow!
5. I do wish the bus came/would come. I'm going to be late.
6. Do you ever wish that you sang/could sing really well?
7. There's only really one thing I regret. I wish I could go/have gone to university but of
course, in those days, it just wasn't possible.
8. Excuse me, I wish I spoke/to speak to the person in charge.
9. I wish/ hope it snows tomorrow!
10. Why on earth does Geoffrey wish he would be given/they would give him a knighthood?
11. Well, I don't think it's a very sensible business venture, but I do wish you luck/lucky.
12. My grandfather always wished that he was/had been taller.
13. If only you were/you'd been watching Thomas instead of checking your e-mail. He
wouldn't have fallen off the slide then.
14. I do wish the taxi driver didn't go/wasn't going so slowly. We're never going to get
there!
15. If only Peggy wasn't/hadn't been sent off. I'm sure we'd have won the match.