is it true to make use of this formula: had not have ... + would not have .... ??

Question

"If I had not liked history , I would not have chosen this field of study." is this sentence true in terms of grammar?

Answer 1

Yes, it is totally correct, but since you expressed doubt, I thought you might like to know the rule that governs it. The sentence is describing an unreal condition using an "if" clause. The verb in the "if" clause is conjugated in the past tense (or the past perfect in your sentence), then we use one of the modal verbs (options are "should, could, would") plus the verb infinitive (in your sentence we use the verb infinitive "have" + the past participle "chosen" to match the perfect verb tense that you used in the "if" clause.).

The only exception to using the past or past perfect tense in the "if" clause, is the "be" verb. We always use "were" as the correct form, although people often say "was" when they are speaking.

I hope this was helpful. Guess I'm a bit of a grammar nerd. :)

Answer 2

Yup! This sentence is grammatically correct using that formula.