Choose the correct phrase to complete the conditional sentence:
If the public transport network _____ expanded earlier, urban congestion would not be so acute today.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. had been
- Step 1: Identify the conditional sentence structure: this is a mixed conditional sentence featuring an unreal counterfactual condition in the past ("expanded earlier") with a present resulting state ("would not be so acute today").
- Step 2: Form the past condition clause: the if-clause of a counterfactual past condition requires the past perfect passive tense, formed by "had been" + past participle ("had been expanded").
Answer
had been.
Why not the others: "was" uses simple past, which is reserved for present counterfactual conditions (second conditional); "has been" uses present perfect, which cannot express an unreal past hypothesis; "would be" incorrectly places the modal auxiliary "would" inside the if-clause.
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