Cover of the textbook Outcomes Advanced - Student's Book

The key answer of exercise 13

The key to exercise solutions in chapter 4 - Cast your vote for the textbook Outcomes Advanced - Student's Book with authors Carol Nuttall and Amanda French from National Geographic Learning

Question

With your partner, decide which option is not possible. Then discuss the difference in meaning between the two possible options.

Answer

  1. If the parliamentary vote goes against the government next week, it could trigger / it’ll trigger / it triggered an election. → could is less certain than will
  2. The government should’ve done more for the middle classes if they want / wanted / would’ve wanted to win the election. → want suggests a current situation (what they put in the manifesto for the next election) as opposed to a finished situation
  3. If they complain, tell / I wouldn’t tell / I told the boss. → tell is more certain – imperative, the other is advice
  4. If I’d heard something, I’d told / I would tell / I would’ve told you. → would tell you now and would’ve told you before now
  5. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be working / wouldn’t have been working / would never have got a job here.