Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
If I had known that the book was so boring, ____

• A. I wouldn't buy it.
• B. I wouldn't have bought it
• C. I would have bought it
• D. I would buy it

Answer 1

The correct option is B I wouldn't have bought it

The given sentence is in the form of the third conditional. The third conditional talks about the past. It is used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation. Its structure is given below.

if + past perfect,.....would + have + past participle

From the above structure, we can conclude that the answer must have 'a form of would' followed by 'have' and then 'a past participle'. Further, the sentence says that the book was boring and thus, it can be said that given the chance the subject would not have purchased it. The answer must indicate this.

Option A is incorrect. 'I wouldn't buy it' has the correct form of 'would' but, it does not have the word 'have' and it does not have 'a past participle' either.

Option B is correct. It has the correct form of 'would' which suggests that the subject would not have purchased it(given the chance). Further, 'wouldn't' is followed by 'have' and then 'a past participle'. Thus, it meets all the required conditions and is correct.

Option C is incorrect. It does not have the correct form of 'would'. It suggests that given a second chance, the subject would have bought it again. Thus, it does not justify the book being boring.

Option D is incorrect. 'I would buy it' does not have the proper structure as it does not contain 'have' or 'a past participle'. Further, it does not convey the correct meaning just like option C. Thus, it is incorrect.