I read the following on a website and I was wondering if it was okay? Because the books only talk about the standard three forms. What would it mean if we changed the second part of the statement to 'wouldn't have been'?
If we talk about a past action and its result in the present we use if + past perfect and would not + infinitive:
If he hadn't done well on the training courses, he wouldn't be a Project leader now.
At the same time what is the different between the following:
If you had gone over that question in your note-book, would you be able to answer question No. 2?
If you had gone over that question in your note-book, would you have been able to answer question No. 2?
Best Answer
The key word is now. He is now Project Leader but would not now be Project Leader if he hadn't done well, etc.
Imagine that he was Project Leader, but is Project Leader no longer. He is not Project Leader now. Then it is correct to say:
The same principle applies to your other examples:
This is a question about what you would be able to do now.
This is a question about what you would have been able to do then.