Somebody asked me about this sentence from last Friday's speaking lesson:
- There would be no computer programmers if the computer hadn't been invented.
The student asked me why I didn't follow the normal third conditional 'rule' and write "there would have been" instead of "there would be"? Did I make a mistake?
The answer is no, I didn't make a mistake. I wrote a mixed conditional sentence on purpose. Can you see why? I'll explain in tomorrow's lesson.
Effect of imaginary past (hadn't been invented) on imaginary future (would)
Posted by: Hassan | February 07, 2020 at 09:18
Hi Simon, I think that’s because a past hypothetical situation affects a present hypothetical result.
Posted by: Keiko | February 07, 2020 at 11:44
Both correct!
Posted by: Simon | February 07, 2020 at 12:21
The example above is a mixed conditional because the if-clause is a cause from the past and the main clause is the effect in present.
Posted by: Norvin | February 07, 2020 at 12:23