WAEC 2016 English Language · Question 8

From the words lettered A to D below each of the following sentences, choose the word or group of words as it is used in the sentence Had she told me, i.....you

Options

  1. A.will have stopped
  2. B.would have stopped
  3. C.would stop
  4. D.must have stopped

Answer: B. would have stopped

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The sentence is cut off: "Had she told me, I ... you." The structure "Had she told me" is an inverted form of the third conditional (past unreal condition).

Concept: The third conditional has this structure:

  • If + past perfect, … would have + past participle
  • Inverted form: Had + subject + past participle, … subject + would have + past participle

Example: Had he studied, he would have passed. (= If he had studied, he would have passed.)

Solution:

  1. "Had she told me" = "If she had told me", which is a past perfect condition.
  2. The main clause must therefore use would have + past participle.
  3. Checking the options: • A. will have stopped is future perfect, so it doesn't match a past unreal condition. • B. would have stopped is the correct third conditional result clause. • C. would stop is a present or future conditional, so the tense doesn't match. • D. must have stopped expresses logical deduction, not a conditional result.

So the sentence reads: "Had she told me, I would have stopped you."

Note: The question text is truncated, but the structure "Had she told me, I … you" clearly points to option B.

Tip: When a sentence begins with "Had + subject + past participle", always look for "would have + past participle" in the main clause. Think of it as: Had… → would have…

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