Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[www0935]

The following is my question:

I ________ let it go then if he ________ your brother.
(A)might not have; hadn't been
(B)might not; hadn't been
(C)may not; isn't
(D)might not have; weren't

The answer is (D), but I think the choice (A) would be better and grammatically correct. Would someone help me out? Thanks a lot.

[askeladd]

As you noted, it is because of the subjunctive mood that (D) is the correct answer:

I might not have let it go then if he weren't your brother.

He is your brother, and that cannot be changed. Anything else is contrary to fact, which indicates that the subjunctive should be used; hence, if he weren't your brother.

To tell the truth, many native English speakers also get confused over the proper use of the subjunctive - if they've even heard about it .
_________________
Helping ESL students since 2001!
www.summit-esl.com

[Mary W. Ng]

www0935,

You are right. A is grammatically correct. When the tense in the "if"-clause is in the past perfect tense, the tense in the main clause should be in the past perfect tense too.
_________________
Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com