Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the grammatically correct verb structure.

Answer:Had the chief architect examined the structural blueprints more carefully, the building failure 【would have been avoided】 during the severe storm.

Answer

would have been avoided
The sentence begins with an inverted past perfect construction ('Had [subject] + past participle'), establishing a hypothetical third conditional scenario. To complete the main clause correctly, a perfect conditional verb structure in the passive voice ('would have been avoided') is required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the conditional clause structure and mood
The initial clause uses inverted subject-auxiliary order ('Had the chief architect examined...'), which introduces an unfulfilled past hypothesis (third conditional).
In formal English, an inverted past perfect clause replaces 'If the chief architect had examined...'.
2
Select the matching tense, aspect, and voice for the main clause
The main clause requires the perfect modal auxiliary with passive aspect: 'would have been' + past participle ('avoided').
Counterfactual past conditions require perfect conditional aspect in the main clause to indicate an unreal past outcome.

Key Concept

Inverted Third Conditional and Counterfactual Past Tense-Aspect Agreement
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

More questions from this topic