Select the most appropriate option to replace the underlined part of the sentence. If no improvement is needed, choose ‘No improvement’.
If Rohit would have left home on time, he would not have missed the school bus.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → had left
If-sentence about a past that did not happen:
- We use this form to imagine a different past. The pattern is If + had + past participle (V3), ... would have + V3.
- Rohit did not leave on time, and he missed the bus. The second part already has "would not have missed". So the if-part needs had left. The given sentence says “If Rohit would have left”. This is wrong: “would have” belongs only in the second part (“he would not have missed”), never right after “if”.
- Complete sentence: If Rohit had left home on time, he would not have missed the school bus.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: left — Incorrect. "If + left" imagines a present or future situation. It does not match "would not have missed", which is about the past. Example: If I left now, I would reach on time.
Option 3: has left — Incorrect. "Has left" is the present perfect. It cannot be used to imagine a past event that did not happen. Example: Rohit has left for school already.