Look at the sentences again.

If he had been born with twelve fingers, he would have twelve toes.
If he had been born with twelve fingers, he would count: one, two, three, ..., dek, el, doh.
If he had been born with twelve fingers, he would have invented two more digits.

We know that the first part of each sentence, “If he had been born with twelve fingers”, is not true. It is a past event that did not happen.

We also know that the second part of each sentence is not true. In the first two sentences, “he would have twelve toes” and “he would count: one, two, three, ..., dek, el, doh” are present states that are not true. In the third sentence, “he would have invented two more digits” is the present result of past event that did not happen.

Remember that with “if” sentences, the “if” part of the sentence is the cause of the other part. You can also write the sentences in this order, with the same meaning:

He would have twelve toes if he had been born with twelve fingers.
He would count: one, two, three, ..., dek, el, doh if he had been born with twelve fingers.
He would have invented two more digits if he had been born with twelve fingers.

Remember these grammatical patterns:

If + had + verb (past participle), would + verb (infinitive)
If + had + verb (past participle) would + verb (present perfect)

and unscramble the sentence below. Drag each word onto the lines and put them in the right order. Check your answer, then click "Go to next exercise" when you are finished.