Unit 9: Project management
The third conditional
Select a unit
- 1 Pop-ups
- 2 Hidden talents
- 3 Can't buy me love
- 4 Travellers' tales
- 5 The colleague from hell
- 6 Jurassic mystery: unpacking the past
- 7 Career changes
- 8 Art
- 9 Project management
- 10 The dog ate my homework!
- 11 The diary of a double agent
- 12 Fashion forward
- 13 Flat pack skyscrapers
- 14 Extreme sports
- 15 Food fads
- 16 Me, my selfie and I
- 17 Endangered animals
- 18 A nip and a tuck: cosmetic surgery
- 19 I'm really sorry...
- 20 Telling stories
- 21 Fakes and phrasals
- 22 Looking to the future
- 23 Becoming familiar with things
- 24 From rags to riches
- 25 Against the odds
- 26 Our future on Mars?
- 27 Where is it illegal to get a fish drunk?
- 28 Dodgy dating
- 29 Annoying advice
- 30 I'll have been studying English for thirty weeks
Session 3
Finn loses his job because he didn't finish his project on time. In the argument with his boss, Rob, you'll hear lots of examples of the third conditional and get a chance to test how well you understand it.
Activity 1
If you'd told me…
A bad day at the office
Have you ever had a bad day at work? Perhaps if you had done something differently your day would have been better.
You're going to hear about a very bad day in the office for Finn. He's about to lose his job because he didn't complete his project on time. It's full of examples of the third conditional.
Read these three summaries then listen once. Which summary is correct?
a) Finn didn't want to work on the project and Mike took over.
b) Finn didn't want to work on the project and Rob asked Mike to take over.
Listen to the audio and complete the task
Rob
Ahh, thank you for coming to see me Finn.
Finn
Yeah, that's ok. Sorry I'm late, Rob. Yo know, if the lift had worked properly, I'd have been here a bit earlier.
Rob
Well let's say no more about that and get down to business. Now, how's the project coming on?
Finn
It's been tricky but we're getting there.
Rob
Getting there? It should've been finished last Friday.
Finn
Really? If you'd told me that I would've pulled out all the stops out and got it done.
Rob
Rubbish! Answer this question honestly: would you have delivered this project by now if you hadn't taken such long lunch breaks?
Finn
Listen - a man's got to eat. And seriously – if we hadn't had that bug in the new software we would have got things done in no time.
Rob
Excuses, excuses!
Finn
And we've been a bit short on staff – if we'd brought Mike in to help, it would've been finished a lot quicker. He knows everything about the new IT system.
Rob
Yes, yes Mike's a good worker - he knows a lot. And he's a good team player. He talks to everyone and he even stays late to get his work finished. Yeah, he's a good guy. Perhaps we should have used him.
Finn
What? If you're saying I'm lazy then, you know, I might have to rethink my position here. Give Mike the project to manage. I didn't even want to work on this stupid computer rebuild project anyway, working in this stinking office and having to report to… you – you dinosaur! I quit! I'm out of here.
Rob
You can't quit.
Finn
Why not?
Rob
Because you're fired. If you hadn't been so rude, I would have given you a second chance – but not now, and I'm not going to change my mind.
Finn
Fine.
Rob
Fine.
Finn
Good bye.
[Mike walks in]
Mike
Blimey, what's wrong with him? Anyway, I'm glad I caught you Rob. I'm sorry to say that I've been offered another job and I'm leaving. If you'd given me a pay rise when I asked then I wouldn't have applied for another job.
Rob
Oh, OK. Well, hold on a minute... [Calling out] Finn, Finn, would you like your job back?
Did you hear what happened? The correct summary was b) Finn didn't want to work on the project and Rob asked Mike to take over.
To do
Now listen to the audio again and try to answer the questions. You'll need to understand third conditional in order to get the correct answer. Good luck!
Finn's failed project
8 Questions
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Did Finn say the lift was working properly?Question 1 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Did Finn know when the deadline was?Question 2 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Does Finn like spending time eating?Question 3 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Does he think there was a technical problem?Question 4 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
This is a different use of a well-known word.Question 5 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Is it polite to call someone a dinosaur?Question 6 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
What does 'second chance' mean?Question 7 of 8
Help
Activity
Listen to the audio at least twice. Then choose the correct answer for each question.
Hint
Why was Mike leaving the company to go to another job?Question 8 of 8
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
End of Session 3
Did you notice how badly Finn's project was organised? Maybe we have something that could help him and anyone else who plans projects. Read our guide to good project management in Session 4!
Session Grammar
Third conditional - Meaning and use
The third conditional is used to talk about imagined situations in the past, things that didn't happen.
- If I’d known it was your birthday, I’d have bought you a present.
Form
Sentences have an if part and a main/result part. We make the third conditional with if + past perfect, and would have + past participle:
- If I’d known it was your birthday (if part)
- I’d have bought you a present. (main part)
They can also come the other way round:
- I'd have bought you a present if I'd known it was your birthday.
Positive
- If you’d asked me to marry you, I’d have said no.
- We’d have been in trouble if we’d missed the last train.
Negative
- She wouldn’t have become ill if she’d taken the medicine.
- It would have been better if they hadn’t come to the party.
- If you hadn’t been so friendly, I wouldn’t have talked to you.
Question
- What would they have done if they’d lost their jobs?
- If I’d told him the truth, how would he have felt?
Session Vocabulary
fired
removed from your job because you've done something wrong
get down to business
start talking about what's important
we're getting there
we're making progress but haven't finished
pulled out all the stops
made every effort
delivered
(here) completed a project
bug
small problem with the computer system
a bit short on
not having many (of something)
a good team player
works well with other people
to rethink
to consider again/think about again
dinosaur
(used here as an insult) old-fashioned persona second chance
another opportunity to do something after a bad mistake