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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Which verb form correctly completes the sentence below?

'Had the parliamentary committee acted swiftly on the whistle-blower's disclosure, the agency ________ millions of naira from being misappropriated.'

  1. would have savedAnswer
  2. B
    would save
  3. C
    will have saved
  4. D
    had saved

Answer

The correct option is 'would have saved'.
The sentence begins with an inverted third conditional dependent clause ('Had the parliamentary committee acted...'). In standard English grammar, the main clause of a third conditional construction must use the modal perfect structure ('would have + past participle'). Therefore, 'would have saved' is the only grammatically correct option.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structure of the sentence.
The dependent clause 'Had the parliamentary committee acted...' is an inverted third conditional clause standing for 'If the parliamentary committee had acted...'.
Recognizing inverted conditional structures is necessary to determine the correct tense and mood in the main clause.
2
Determine the required tense and aspect for the main clause.
A third conditional sentence expressing a hypothetical past condition requires 'would have + past participle' in the main (result) clause.
The event refers to a past unfulfilled possibility, which grammatically demands the perfect aspect combined with a past modal.
3
Select the matching option.
'would have saved' matches the required 'would have + past participle' pattern.
It maintains proper sequence of tenses and modal agreement across the sentence.

Key Concept

Inverted Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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