Learn how to express subjunctive conditions without an if-clause by using without / but for / otherwise, and so on. We will also review inverted conditionals.
Basic Rules
① without / but for: “if there were no ~ / if there had been no ~”
Present: “Without your help, I couldn't do it.” = “If it were not for your help, ...”
Past: “Without your help, I couldn't have done it.” = “If it had not been for your help, ...”
② otherwise: “if not”; “I took a taxi; otherwise I would have been late.”
③ Inverted conditional (omitting if): Put Were/Had/Should before the subject.
“Were I rich, I would buy that car.” “Had she known, she would have acted differently.”
Without water, no living thing could survive. (Without water, no living thing could survive.)
But for your advice, I would have made a terrible mistake. (Without your advice, I would have made a terrible mistake.)
Were it not for music, life would be dull. (Without music, life would be dull.) ← Inverted conditional
Points to Note
① Interchangeability of without and but for: They can be substituted for each other with almost the same meaning. but for is somewhat more formal.
② Difference between If it were not for and If it had not been for: use were not for for the present and had not been for for the past. without can be used regardless of tense.
③ Should in an inverted conditional: “Should he fail” (if he should happen to fail) ← a condition with a low possibility of occurring, or a polite condition.
- without / but for: if there were no ~ (usable for both present and past)
- If it were not for = Without (present)
- If it had not been for = Without + would have p.p. (past)
- otherwise: if not (supply the if-clause from the context)
- Inverted conditional: Were / Had / Should + S + ... (if omitted)
Practice
- Translate “Without your assistance, this project would have failed” using but for.
- Rewrite the following as an inverted conditional: If I had more time, I would read more books.
- Translate “I took the bus; otherwise, I would have been late for the exam” using otherwise.