Second Conditional + Hedging — The Ethics of Thought Experiments
Grammar: Conditionals
Free ESL grammar exercise on second conditional + hedging themed around the ethics of thought experiments. Printable worksheet from EnglishPlans.com.
What's on this worksheet
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL grammar exercise on psychology, practising conditionals. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
If people were raised in collectivist societies, they were significantly more likely to sacrifice individuals to save groups. If they came from cultures that prioritise personal rights, they tended to protect individuals.
Grammar: Conditionals
- Second conditional
- If she were a moral agent, she would intervene immediately. — hypothetical present or future; were preferred for all subjects
- Hedging with second
- If we were truly impartial, we might sacrifice comfort for a stranger. — might/could softens certainty
Sample items
- If the scenario ______ (involve) real culpability, the moral agent would hesitate far longer.
- If she ______ (be) truly impartial, she might weigh a stranger's life equally to her own.
- If the ethical framework ______ (not distinguish) between distance and proximity, global obligations would multiply.
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