Mixed vs Pure Third Conditional

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

"If I had not moved to the United States, I would probably never have thought of myself as African" — that is a pure third conditional. But Adichie also carries the present consequence: "I would simply be Igbo, or Nigerian" — a mixed conditional, because the identity she carries now was shaped by a decision made in the past.

Grammar Reference · Mixed vs Pure Third Conditional

Pure third conditional

If she had stayed in Nigeria, she would have written different books. — past condition, past result only

Mixed: past → present

If she hadn't moved to the US, she wouldn't be the writer she is today. — past condition, present result

Spotting the

Would have done = result is also in the past. Would be / would do = result is

Common error

If she hadn't left, she would have been different now. ✗ → would be different now ✓ —

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Mixed vs Pure Third Conditional

1.If Adichie (not / leave) Nigeria, she ... (not / be) the writer she is today.

2.If she (not / experience) that perception from her roommate, she ... (not / write) 'We Should All Be Feminists'.

3.If he (grow up) in a bilingual home, he ... (be) much more confident now.

4.If she (not / internalise) those cultural norms as a child, she ... (not / struggle) to code-switch today.

5.If the school (teach) more diverse narratives, those students ... (not / feel) so marginalised back then.

6.If her upbringing (be) different, she ... (not / have) such a fluid sense of identity now.

02Exercise 2 — Find and Correct the Error

find the error · rewrite the sentence

1.If she had grown up abroad, she would have been more open-minded today.

2.If he didn't internalise those messages, he would have had a stronger identity now.

3.If the writer hadn't moved, she would never thought of herself as African.

4.If communities had reclaimed their narratives earlier, the perception of them would be different back then.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Mixed vs Pure Third Conditional01EnglishPlans.com