If the armed robbers ------------------------ caught, they would have been lynched

Analyze the question

The sentence is a conditional: "If the armed robbers __ caught, they would have been lynched." The main clause uses "would have been lynched," which tells us the situation is about the past and did not happen.

Explain the concept: Third Conditional

The third conditional talks about an unreal or imagined situation in the past. Its structure is:

• If + past perfect, … would have + past participle

Example: If I had studied, I would have passed.

Show the solution

1. The main clause is "they would have been lynched". This is the "would have + past participle" part of the third conditional.
2. The if-clause must therefore use the past perfect: "had + past participle".
3. The passive form of "catch" in the past perfect is had been caught.

Checking each option:

• A. "would be caught" is wrong. "Would" does not normally follow "if" in this kind of clause, and it does not match the past time.
• B. "have been caught" is present perfect and does not fit the third conditional.
• C. "are caught" is present tense, which would belong to a first conditional ("they will be lynched").
• D. "had been caught" is past perfect passive and fits perfectly.

Complete sentence: If the armed robbers had been caught, they would have been lynched.

Tip: Match the clauses. If the main clause has "would have + past participle", the if-clause needs "had + past participle". Never put "would" in the if-clause of a conditional sentence.