Practice of the Past Conditionals

Real and Unreal

If people needed to speak to each other, more often than not they wrote letters rather than emails.If I had been living in 1957, I would have probably been better at spelling than I am now.

A town in England receives its first computer in 1957

TOPICS:

COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY

When people travelled, they often looked down upon the natives of other lands.What would you have done if you were the Indian woman?

A colonial British man in India is being carried by a native so he doesn’t have to walk in the heat.

The photo was taken in 1901

TOPICS:

SOCIETYTRAVEL

When people partied, they would sometimes still wear rather formal clothesIf these people had heard modern dance music, they probably would have been extremely shocked.

A group of Germans partying on a Friday night at the beginning of the Twentieth Century

TOPICS:

PARTYINGMEN & WOMEN

When people needed to test the safety of things, they simply did it in real life rather than a laboratory. If you had been alive in 1912 would your life have been more or less dangerousIf modern standards were applied then, people would have been sued.

A group of British men testing safety helmets.

The photo was taken in 1912.

TOPICS:

SAFETYDANGERS

When royalty travelled, they often did so quite openly and were not scared of the public. If England had followed France, we would have had a revolution and abandoned our monarchy.

King George V of England travels in his coach. A beggar runs alongside him asking for money.

The photo was taken in 1920

TOPICS:

KINGS and MONARCHYPUBLIC FIGURES

When people needed to groom themselves, they often asked others for assistance. If they had had better products, they would have looked very different.

A man receiving a shave from a barber in 1940

TOPICS:

APPEARANCEGROOMINGHYGIENE

When children couldn’t afford to go to school, they had to go out and get a job.If they had had more education, they wouldn’t have been forced to work.

Child labourers taking a smoke break in America.

1880

TOPICS:

CHILDRENCIGARETTESWORKHEALTH

When people had differing political or social views, they could be executed publically. If he had not have expressed his opinions, perhaps he would have lived.

Munich, Germany.

A man is publically executed for being a communist.

Photo taken in 1919.