Although mixed conditionals are covered in Unit #2 Words of Wisdom, it is important to look at these structures when we are developing a one-sided debate or argument. These structures are often employed so as to give our standpoint more clout.
Mixed Conditional Sentences
It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times, and the resulting sentence is a mixed conditional sentence. There are two types of mixed conditional sentences:
Present result of a past conditional
Form
The tense in the "if" clause is the past perfect and the tense in the "main clause" is the present conditional.
| If Clause (past perfect) | Main Clause (present conditional) |
|---|---|
| If I had worked harder at English, | I would not be taking English classes now. |
| If I had eaten lunch, | I would not be so hungry. |
Function
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