Language Point of the Day. Unreal situations.

Unreal situations in the past.

Two weeks ago I looked at how we can use Future forms for the Present.

Last week I looked at how we can use Past forms forms for the Present.

This week I am going to look at Unreal/Imaginary things in the past.

We saw last week how we 'distance' unreal/imaginary ideas by moving them back on tense. This week we are doing the same based around the 

Past Perfect/Modal + have + past participle = Unreal/imaginary past. 

What I have described above is basically the structure of the 3rd Conditional.

If I hadn't eaten so much, I would have felt okay.

     If  +    Past perfect                      /      Modal + have + Past Participle

Apart from being grammatically complicated there is also the concept of the first clause being negative but means... I did eat too much and the second clause being positive but meaning... I didn't feel okay.

We can also use the 'result' part of the the 3rd Conditional to talk about things we intended to do but didn't, or intended not to do but did.

                                I would have called but...

                               I wouldn't have gone except...

Finally, I wish/If only (see last week) can be put into the past- usually to express some king of past regret.

I wish I had told him!

I wish I hadn't drunk so much.

I wish (If only...)  + Past Perfect.

Listen to the Kaiser Chiefs for more on I wish + Past Perfect and question forms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDUhnuZWQXc