All Conditionals + Mixed

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

A fast-fashion retailer launches a Conscious Collection while manufacturing the bulk of its inventory under conditions no virtue-signalling press release would survive scrutiny. Had the marketing departments of the 1990s not already discovered that green sold products, we might never have coined the term greenwashing. A consequentialist would argue that if the outcome is unchanged, the language is irrelevant. The fact that companies spend millions constructing the appearance of ethical obligation suggests, paradoxically, that if moral language had no force, no one would bother appropriating it.

Grammar Reference · All Conditionals + Mixed

Zero conditional

If a company claims ethics but ignores accountability, it loses credibility. — universal moral truth

Mixed: past → present

If she had studied the data, she would be more sceptical now. — past condition, present result

Mixed: present → past

If he were honest, he would have admitted the conflict earlier. — present nature explains past failure

Common error

If they would have acted... ✗ → If they had acted... ✓ — never would have in the if-clause

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

All Conditionals + Mixed

1.If the board the accountability gap earlier, the scandal would never have reached the press.

2.If an organisation routinely co-opts the language of its critics, it eventually all credibility.

3.She would be far more confident in the meeting today if she the ethical framework more carefully yesterday.

4.If he a stronger commitment to integrity, he would not have approved the misleading report last quarter.

5.If the regulator introduces stricter rules next year, greenwashing significantly more difficult to sustain.

6.If they had built accountability into the process from the start, the company a very different reputation now.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.She didn't read the full report, so she still believes the company's ethical claims.

2.He is someone who rationalises shortcuts, which is why he signed off on the misleading data.

3.They did not build in independent oversight, so they are still exposed to the same risks today.

4.The government will introduce a transparency law, and public trust in ESG claims will increase.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

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

All Conditionals + Mixed01EnglishPlans.com