For conditional sentences, identify both the time and reality of the condition before choosing a verb form. An unreal past condition generally uses if + past perfect, while its unreal past result uses would have + past participle; explicit time markers can distinguish this pattern from a mixed conditional with a present result.
Hints
- Hint 1
Classify the condition
Determine whether the if-clause describes a real possibility or an unreal alternative to an action already completed.
- Hint 2
Use the time marker
Focus on the phrase “during the panels’ 2019 debut.” Choose a verb phrase that places the hypothetical result at that past time.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Identify the kind of condition
The if-clause uses the past perfect construction “if Serrano had cut,” indicating a counterfactual condition about a completed past action: Serrano did not actually cut every groove to a uniform depth.
- Step 2
Locate the result in time
The phrase “during the panels’ 2019 debut” places the hypothetical result at a specific time in the past. Although the effect remains visible today, the blank describes how it would have appeared in 2019.
- Step 3
Form the past hypothetical result
A counterfactual past result is expressed with would have plus a past participle. Because the complement is the adjective phrase “far less pronounced,” the needed past participle is “been,” producing “would have been far less pronounced.”