Sergey
The third conditional. If Jim had called his wife, she wouldn't have been worried about him all night. Why is "wouldn't + have + been + worried"? The third conditional is formed by "wouldn't + have + past participle". Why the verb "been" is here? Why is not "wouldn't + have + worried"?
Jan 26, 2017 8:35 AM
Answers · 4
1
Yes, you could say that she wouldn't have worried. That would be using "to worry" as a verb. The original form is "she wouldn't have been worried" meaning "she wouldn't have been a worried person" and there it's using "worried" as an adjective.
January 26, 2017
1
The expression "to be worried" is very common. It has the same meaning as "to worry". In it, "worried" is an adjective (though it has the form of a past participle). So the only verb is "to be", which in the 3rd conditional, becomes "would have been". Here's another example: "If West Ham had beaten Manchester City at the weekend, I would have been delighted."
January 26, 2017
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