Choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
If he had got up early in the morning, he _________ not have missed the train.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → would
Complete sentence: If he had got up early in the morning, he would not have missed the train. He did not get up early and missed the train, so "If he had got up early in the morning, he would not have missed the train."
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) can | "Can" is a present form. "Can not have missed" expresses a present guess about the past and cannot give the result of an imagined past. | – |
| (2) may | "May not have missed" is a guess about what possibly happened. The result of an imagined past needs "would". | – |
| (3) would (answer) | Third conditional (an unreal past): it imagines a past that did not happen, and its result. Pattern: If + had + past participle, ... would (not) have + past participle. | If you had asked me, I would have helped you. |
| (4) will | "Will" refers to the future and belongs to the first conditional (If he gets up early, he will catch the train). | – |