๐Ÿ“… Created: 15 Jun, 2023
๐Ÿ”„ Updated: 23 Aug, 2025

If he ___ generous, he ___ the poor ?

Explanation

The correct choice for the sentence "If he ___ generous, he ___ the poor" is D) "were/would help" because it employs the correct conditional form known as the second conditional, which is used to express hypothetical situations that are contrary to reality or unlikely to happen.

In this context, "were" is the subjunctive form of the verb "to be," used after "if" to describe an unreal or imaginary scenario about someone being generous. The use of "were" indicates that the speaker believes the person in question is not actually generous.

The phrase "would help" indicates the potential outcome of the hypothetical situation. The second conditional structure"if + past simple, would + base verb"is often employed to discuss situations that are not true in the present.

Therefore, the complete sentence, "If he were generous, he would help the poor," suggests that the speaker is expressing doubt about the person's generosity and its impact on helping those in need. This captures the conditional nature of the statement effectively, making it the correct choice.