If I ______ you were coming, I might have stayed.

Question

Option 1: had known

Option 2: know

Option 3: knew

Option 4: have known

AfterBoards · Accepted Answer

**"If I ______ you were coming, I might have stayed."** The phrase **"might have stayed"** tells us this sentence is about an **unreal past situation** — something that didn't actually happen. This is a **third conditional** sentence, which follows the pattern: **If + had + past participle, ... might/would/could + have + past participle** So the blank needs **"had known"** (past perfect tense). ✅ **Option 1: "had known"** — fits the third conditional pattern perfectly. "If I *had known* you were coming, I *might have stayed*" means: "I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't stay — but if I had known, maybe I would have stayed!" ❌ **Option 2: "know"** — simple present tense; can't be mixed with "might have stayed," which is about the past. ❌ **Option 3: "knew"** — simple past tense; used in **second conditional** sentences about unreal *present* situations (e.g., "If I knew the answer, I would help you"), not past ones. ❌ **Option 4: "have known"** — present perfect tense; doesn't match the unreal past meaning of "might have stayed." Hence, **Option 1: "had known"** is correct. ✅

BMSAT Kozhikode (VA) PYQs

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