Subjunctive and Conditional Adventures: correct answers

Help the teenager complete their brilliant survival plan.

If zombies ___ our school, I would immediately barricade myself inside the cafeteria.

The correct answer is attacked.

This is a second conditional sentence, which we use to talk about unlikely or hypothetical situations in the present or future. We use the past simple tense ("attacked") in the "if" clause, and "would" + base verb in the main clause.

Complete the time traveler's strict warning to the new rookie.

If you accidentally stepped on a bug in the Jurassic period, you ___ the entire future of humanity!

The correct answer is would ruin.

In a second conditional sentence, the condition is in the past simple ("stepped"), so the result clause must use "would" + base verb ("would ruin") to describe the hypothetical consequence.

Choose the best phrase to give life-saving advice to a friend with terrible ideas.

If I ___ you, I wouldn't try to steal a sandwich from that angry goose.

The correct answer is were.

When giving advice using a hypothetical scenario, we use the phrase "If I were you." This uses the subjunctive mood, where "were" is the correct form for all subjects (even "I" or "he/she/it") to show that the situation is contrary to fact.

The correct answers are If I were a local, I wouldn't wear this shiny silver suit., If I was a local, I wouldn't wear this shiny silver suit., and I wish I knew how to ride a horse.

To talk about unreal or hypothetical situations in the present, we use the second conditional (If + past simple, would + infinitive). For the verb "to be", both the traditional subjunctive "were" and the informal "was" are grammatically accepted in modern English. To express a desire to change a present situation, we use "wish" + past simple (e.g., "I wish I knew").

The correct answers are If the cat knows about the sausages, she will try to steal them. and If the cat knew about the sausages, she would try to steal them.

Detective Paws can use the first conditional (If + present, will + infinitive) to describe a real, possible future situation. He can also use the second conditional (If + past, would + infinitive) to describe an unreal or unlikely hypothetical situation. Mixing the two halves (present with "would" or past with "will") is grammatically incorrect for these basic conditional structures.

The correct answers are I wish my magic wand worked properly!, I wish I were sleeping in my comfortable tower right now., and I wish I didn't have to turn these frogs back into princes.

When we wish for things to be different in the present, we use "wish" followed by a past tense verb (past simple or past continuous). "Worked" and "didn't have to" are correct past simple forms. "Were sleeping" correctly uses the past subjunctive continuous form to imagine a different action happening right at this exact moment. Using present tense verbs after "wish" (like "works" or "am sleeping") is incorrect.

Our adventurous explorer, Penelope, is packing her bags! Choose the best way to complete her thought about her upcoming jungle trek.

"If it ___ too much, we will have to take the longer route through the ancient ruins."

The correct answer is rains.

This is a Type 1 conditional sentence, used for real or possible situations in the future. The 'if' clause uses the present simple tense (e.g., "if it rains"), and the main clause uses 'will' + base verb (e.g., "we will have to"). Remember, we don't use "will" in the 'if' clause of a conditional sentence.

Imagine your friend, a budding chef, is contemplating a risky new recipe. Complete your witty advice to them!

"If I ___ you, I would add a pinch more chili – it always works wonders!"

The correct answer is were.

In Type 2 conditional sentences, when we talk about hypothetical or unreal situations in the present or future, we use the past simple in the 'if' clause. For the verb 'to be' in such clauses, especially with "if I you," we commonly use the subjunctive form "were" for all persons, even for singular subjects like "I."