In the following questions a part of the sentence is bold. Below are given…
2024
In the following questions a part of the sentence is bold. Below are given alternatives to the part of the sentence given in bold, which may improve the sentence. Choose the alternative which makes the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. In case the sentence is correct as it is, chooses 'No Improvement' as your option.
I would gladly accompany your sister if you had asked me.
- A.
would have gladly accompanied
- B.
would gladly accompanied
- C.
will gladly accompany
- D.
No Improvement
Attempted by 50 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct answer: would have gladly accompanied
Explanation —
This sentence is a third conditional (a past unreal condition). The if-clause uses the past perfect, so the main clause must use 'would have' + past participle.
Condition clause: 'if you had asked me' uses past perfect (had + past participle).
Result clause: use 'would have' + past participle, e.g. 'would have gladly accompanied'.
Corrected sentence: I would have gladly accompanied your sister if you had asked me.
Why the other choices are incorrect:
"would gladly accompanied" is ungrammatical because it pairs 'would' with a past participle; the correct patterns are 'would' + base verb (for present unreal) or 'would have' + past participle (for past unreal).
"will gladly accompany" uses the future tense, which does not match the past perfect condition in the if-clause.
"No Improvement" is incorrect because the original phrasing does not use the required 'would have' + past participle for a past unreal condition.