In adverbial clauses of condition

‘Were’ can be used with the modal meaning. Compare the following patterns:

If Peter were a good specialist, he would get the post. (link verb)

If Peter were to apply for the post, he would get it. (modal phrase)

The modal phrase ‘were to’ may be used in the ‘if-clause’ to talk about imaginary future situations. ‘If smb were to do smth’ instead of ‘If smb did smth’

E.g.: If aliens appeared now, you would be surprised. =

If aliens were to appear now, you would be surprised.

Omission of ‘if’

If there’s ‘were’ in the if-clause, no matter what kind of the verb it is, we can put it at the start of the clause and omit ‘if’.

E.g.: Were she to find out the truth, it would be embarrassing.

Were she a good dancer, she would take part in the TV show.

Ex. 13 Use ‘were to’ in ‘if-clauses’ of the following type 2 conditionals.

1. If I bought a big house, I would invite a lot of friends.

2. If it started raining now, we would have nowhere to hide.

3. If he offered me a job, I would accept it.

4. I would be really happy if they got married.

5. If we went on a world tour, we would see a lot of famous place.

6. If we won this match , we would be the champions.

7. If they realized the truth, they would keep out of trouble.

‘Were to’ can’t be used with many state verbs, including know, like, remember and understand. E.g.: If I knew they were honest, I would lend them the money. ( If I were to know…)

Ex.14 Choose from these verbs to complete the sentences, using each verb once only. If possible, use the pattern ‘were + to-infinitive’. If this is not correct, use Subjunctive II of the verb.

catch fail like know win arrive understand find out buy

1. If the police ............ him, he'd spend at least five years in prison.

2. If they ……..........… to reach their target, the order would be lost.

3. If I…........... how to contact Mike, I'd get in touch with him today.

4. If she …......... the next four races, she would be world champion.

5. If I ……...........……………… how it worked, I'd explain it to you.

6. If you …..........… his first film, I'm sure you'd enjoy this one, too.

7. If she …...........……………….the truth, it would be embarrassing.

8. If they …........… today, there would be nowhere for them to stay.

9. If we ........................... a house, I would have a room of my own.

Ex.15 Say it in English using conditionals type II. Give two variants where possible (with or without modal verb ‘were to’).

1. Як би я зараз його раптом зустріла, не знаю, чи я б його впізнала. 2. Якби він зараз прийшов і вибачився, ми б продовжили працювати разом. 3. Якби він попросив допомогти, ти б погодилась? 4. Якби вони розуміли про що йдеться, вони не сміялись би. 5. Якби зараз прийшли гості, мені не було б чим їх пригостити. 6. Якби я знала щось про машини, я б відремонтувала її сама. 7. Якби ви почули, як вона співає, ви були б вражені.

Ex.16 Choose one of the prompts or your own ideas to say what you would do in each of the situations below. Start with “If I were to ...”

call the police, try to stop the robber, ask for his/ her autograph, act as paparazzi, complain to the main office, leave without paying anything, start your business, go on a world tour, run away, suggest going for a drink

1. You see someone robbing a bank.

2. You meet your favourite singer or actor.

3. A taxi driver tries to overcharge you.

4. You win a million in a lottery.

5. You see aliens coming out of a UFO.