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Reading Worksheet

The Road Not Taken

B1 Third Conditional: Reflecting on Past Choices Life Decisions 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Have you ever made a decision that changed your life in an important way?
  • Do you think failure can be a good thing? Can you give an example?
  • Is there anything in your past that you sometimes regret? (You don't have to share details.)
  • Do you believe everything happens for a reason, or do you think life is more about the choices we make?
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
opportunity (n.) a situation or time that makes it possible to do something you want to do She had the opportunity to study abroad, but she decided to stay close to her family.
confidence (n.) the belief that you can do something well; a feeling of trust in yourself or others He didn't have the confidence to speak in front of the class, so he practised at home first.
audition (n.) a short performance given to show whether someone is suitable for a role in music, theatre, or dance She was nervous before her audition, but she played the piano beautifully.
passion (n.) a very strong feeling of enthusiasm or love for something Her passion for teaching was clear — she stayed late every day to help her students.
regret (v./n.) to feel sad or sorry about something you did or did not do in the past; a feeling of sadness about a past choice He regretted not calling his friend more often. It was his biggest regret.
reflect (v.) to think carefully and seriously about something, especially from the past At the end of the year, she liked to reflect on what she had learned and how she had changed.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~285 words

The Road Not Taken

A magazine asked four people to look back at a missed opportunity or an important decision from their past. All of them reflected on how their lives might have been different.

Rosa, 42, is now a chef. "If I had studied cooking at 18 instead of law, I would have started my restaurant ten years earlier," she says. "I wasted six years doing something I did not enjoy. And if my father had encouraged me more when I was young, I might have had the confidence to choose differently."

David, 27, is a musician. He has an unexpected view of failure. "If I had not failed my first audition at 16, I would have given up music," he says. "The failure made me try harder. If I had succeeded too easily, I would not have become the musician I am today."

Anna, 58, is a teacher. She reflects on a job she did not take. "If I had accepted the position in Paris when I was 30, I would not have met my husband," she says. "I sometimes wonder what my life would have looked like. But if I had taken that job, I would not have my children. Some roads lead to better places than you expected."

Omar, 34, is an engineer. "If I had not joined the robotics club at school, I would never have discovered my passion for engineering," he says. "One small decision changed my whole career."

Every missed opportunity creates a different path. As the article concludes: if we had all made different choices, we would be completely different people today.

Notice the Grammar

Read Rosa's quote. She says: 'If I had studied cooking, I would have started my restaurant ten years earlier.' Did Rosa study cooking at 18? Is this a real situation or an imaginary one? What tense is the verb in the 'if' clause? What structure is used in the result clause? What is different about this structure compared with the second conditional?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What did the magazine ask the four people to do?
  2. Which person has an unusual attitude towards failure?
  3. What does the article say in its conclusion?
2 Reading for Detail

Write short answers to these questions.

  1. What did Rosa study at university, and what does she wish she had studied instead?
  2. Why does David think failing his audition was actually a good thing?
  3. What does Anna say she would not have if she had taken the job in Paris?
  4. What was the small decision that changed Omar's career?  a) He decided to move to a new city. b) He joined the robotics club at school. c) He applied for an engineering degree. 
  5. Rosa says her father could have helped her choose a different path. What does she say he lacked?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given).

  1. Rosa studied cooking before she became a chef.
  2. David passed his first audition at the age of 16.
  3. Anna is happy with the life she has now.
  4. Omar says one small school decision influenced his entire career.
  5. All four people in the article express regret about their past choices.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words from the article.

  1. Rosa says she lacked the 'confidence' to choose cooking. Which sentence uses 'confidence' in a similar way?  a) He had great confidence in the quality of his product. b) She did not have the confidence to speak up in meetings, so she stayed quiet. c) The coach was confident the team would win. 
  2. David says he would have 'given up' music if he had succeeded easily. What does 'give up' mean, and why is it surprising in this context?
  3. Find a word in the article that means 'to think carefully about the past'. 
  4. Anna says 'some roads lead to better places than you expected'. What does she mean? Write your own explanation.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities about the third conditional.

  1. Find five third conditional sentences from the article. Write them.
    a)  b)  c)  d)  e) 
  2. David says 'If I had succeeded too easily, I would not have become the musician I am today.' Is this about a real or imaginary past event? Explain.
  3. We use the third conditional to:  a) Describe something that will happen in the future if a condition is met. b) Imagine an unreal or different past situation and its result. c) Talk about things that are always true. 
  4. Write third conditional sentences. (a) 'Rosa studied law, not cooking. She started her restaurant late.' → 'If Rosa _____ cooking, she _____ her restaurant earlier.' (b) 'Omar joined the robotics club. He became an engineer.' → 'If Omar _____ not _____ the club, he _____ never _____ engineering.' Write complete sentences.
  5. Write three third conditional sentences about your own life. What would have been different if you had made a different choice?
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss with a partner. Share one idea with the class.

  1. Do you think it is healthy to think about 'what might have been'? When can it be helpful, and when can it be harmful?
  2. David says failure helped him. Can you think of a time when a failure or a setback led to something positive for you?
  3. If you could go back and change one decision in your past, what would it be — and why?

Answer Key

The Road Not Taken — B1 — Third Conditional: Reflecting on Past Choices

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. To look back at a missed opportunity or important decision from their past.
  2. David — he thinks his early failure made him a better musician.
  3. If we had all made different choices, we would be completely different people today.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. She studied law but wishes she had studied cooking.
  2. Because the failure made him try harder. If he had succeeded easily, he would not have become the musician he is today.
  3. She would not have met her husband, and she would not have her children.
  4. b)
  5. Encouragement — if her father had encouraged her more, she might have had the confidence to choose cooking instead of law.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. F — Rosa says she studied law, not cooking — she regrets not having studied cooking at 18.
  2. F — David says he 'failed' his first audition at 16.
  3. NG — Anna reflects on the choice and says 'some roads lead to better places than you expected', but the article does not directly state she is happy.
  4. T — Omar says: 'One small decision changed my whole career.'
  5. F — David does not express regret — he is grateful for his failure, and Anna also seems to accept her path positively.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. 'Give up' means to stop doing something. It is surprising because we usually expect success to motivate people — David is saying failure was what kept him going, not success.
  3. reflect (or 'reflects')
  4. She means that even when we don't take the opportunity we wanted, the path we end up on can turn out to be just as good — or better. In her case, not going to Paris led to a marriage and a family she values deeply.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Any five sentences with 'if + past perfect, would/might have + past participle'. For example: 'If I had studied cooking at 18, I would have started my restaurant ten years earlier.' / 'If my father had encouraged me more, I might have had the confidence to choose differently.' / 'If I had not failed my first audition, I would have given up music.' / 'If I had succeeded too easily, I would not have become the musician I am today.' / 'If I had accepted the position in Paris, I would not have met my husband.' / 'If I had taken that job, I would not have my children.' / 'If I had not joined the robotics club, I would never have discovered my passion for engineering.' / 'If we had all made different choices, we would be completely different people today.'
  2. It is about an imaginary past — what WOULD have happened if events had been different. In reality, David did fail his audition. The third conditional describes an unreal past: the actual events went one way, but David is imagining the alternative. He is not describing what really happened.
  3. b)
  4. (a) If Rosa had studied cooking, she would have started her restaurant earlier. (b) If Omar had not joined the club, he would never have discovered engineering.
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: if + had + past participle, would/might have + past participle. Encourage personal and specifi

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.