English Grammar Question: Conditionals
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6. Several endangered species ---- extinct by now if conservation programmes ---- in time. A) had gone / were not launched B) would go / have not been launched C) could have gone / had not been launched D) will go / are not being launched E) might have gone / will not be launched
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Hi Elif, let's solve this grammar problem together. We need to identify the correct verb forms for this conditional sentence.
Analyzing Conditionals
First, let's look at the structure of the sentence. It talks about an imaginary situation in the past and its potential result by the present moment.
Several endangered species ---- extinct by now if conservation programmes ---- in time.
The phrase 'if conservation programmes had or had not been launched in time' refers to a past action. When the 'if' clause refers to an unreal past, we must use the Past Perfect tense.
The Past Perfect form of 'be launched' in the passive voice is 'had not been launched'. This immediately points us towards option C.
Now, let's look at the first gap. The phrase 'by now' suggests a result that would exist in the present, but it is caused by a different past. This is a mixed conditional.
In a mixed conditional that looks at a past cause and a present result, we often use 'would' or 'could have plus a past participle' to show possibility or certainty in that imagined reality.
Past Cause $\rightarrow$ Present Result
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