WAEC 2018 English Language · Question 77
If Musa had woken up earlier, he … breakfast.
Question
From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences. If Musa had woken up earlier, he ______ breakfast.
- A.would not have missed
- B.ought not to miss.
- C.shall have missed
- D.may have missed
Answer: A. would not have missed
Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key
Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is "If Musa had woken up earlier, he __ breakfast." The "if" clause uses the past perfect (had woken up), which signals a Third Conditional. This type of sentence talks about an unreal situation in the past, something that did not happen, and its imagined result.
Step 2: The concept Third Conditional structure:
If + past perfect, subject + would/could/might + have + past participle
Example: If I had studied harder, I would have passed.
Step 3: Test each option
- A. would not have missed: Correct structure (would + have + past participle). The meaning is logical: if Musa had woken up earlier, he would not have missed breakfast. This implies he woke up late and missed it.
- B. ought not to miss: Wrong form. It does not follow the third conditional pattern and does not fit the past time.
- C. shall have missed: "Shall have" is a future perfect form and does not match a past unreal condition.
- D. may have missed: This expresses possibility, but it makes no logical sense here. Waking up earlier would not make him more likely to miss breakfast.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. would not have missed.
Tip: When you see "if + had + past participle", look for "would (not) have + past participle" in the main clause. Eliminate any option with shall, ought to, or a present or future form right away.
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