Foundation
English
Transformation of sentences
Question
Transform the below sentence by replacing the word "if" with the most appropriate word:
If I had known your true nature, I would not have helped you.
If I had known your true nature, I would not have helped you.
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Solution
In the given sentence, the clause, 'If I had....nature' is in past perfect tense. The auxiliary verb 'had' is used along with the past participle form of the main verb (known). In such clauses, the word, 'if' can be omitted and the sentence can be transformed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb, 'had'. In the given sentence, the subject is 'I'.
So, the said clause can be re-phrased as- "Had I known". Note that we have exchanged the position of 'I' and 'had' and omitted 'If'. Hence, Option B is correct.
Option A is not correct as the auxiliary verb 'had' is used twice in the same sentence. This is grammatically incorrect.
While re-phrasing past perfect tense clauses, we cannot use the modal verb, 'should' or the auxiliary verb, 'were'. The modal, 'should' is used in a conditional sentence in the present tense with a future meaning. Example: Should you feel hungry, you can eat this toffee. Hence, Option C is incorrect.
A conditional sentence can begin with the auxiliary, 'were' when the original sentence (starting with 'If') has 'were' as the linking verb (which acts as the main verb). In the given sentence, 'were' does not appear. Option D is incorrect.
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