Complete the following sentence with appropriate choice.
'____ he stood first, he would have gone to America.'

Question

Complete the following sentence with appropriate choice. 
'____ he stood first, he would have gone to America.'

Accepted Answer

Let's break down why 'Had' is the correct choice and why the others are not.

**Explanation for Option 1 (Had) being correct:**

The sentence "____ he stood first, he would have gone to America" is a classic example of a **Type 3 Conditional sentence**. Type 3 conditionals are used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past that did not happen, and their hypothetical results in the past. The standard structure for a Type 3 conditional is:

*   **If clause:** If + subject + had + past participle (e.g., If he had stood first...)
*   **Main clause:** subject + would have + past participle (e.g., ...he would have gone to America.)

However, in formal English, especially in written form, the word 'if' can be omitted in Type 3 conditional sentences. When 'if' is omitted, the auxiliary verb 'had' is inverted with the subject and placed at the beginning of the clause. This creates the structure:

*   **Inverted If clause:** Had + subject + past participle (e.g., Had he stood first...)

So, "Had he stood first" is grammatically equivalent to "If he had stood first." Both convey the same meaning: a past condition that did not occur, leading to a past hypothetical result. The main clause "he would have gone to America" perfectly matches the Type 3 conditional structure (would have + past participle), confirming that the initial clause must also be a Type 3 conditional.

**Explanation for other options being incorrect:**

*   **Option 2 (If):** If we used 'If', the clause would be "If he stood first". This structure (If + subject + simple past) is characteristic of a **Type 2 Conditional** sentence, which talks about hypothetical situations in the present or future. A Type 2 conditional would require a main clause like "he would go to America" (subject + would + base verb). Since the main clause is "he would have gone to America" (Type 3), "If he stood first" does not fit grammatically or logically. For 'If' to be correct with the given main clause, the 'if' clause would need to be "If he **had** stood first."

*   **Option 3 (Have):** "Have he stood first" is grammatically incorrect. 'Have' cannot be used in this way to form a conditional clause. While 'have' is an auxiliary verb, it doesn't fit the structure required for a conditional inversion or a standard conditional clause here. The correct auxiliary for the past perfect in a conditional is 'had'.

*   **Option 4 (Anyways):** 'Anyways' is an informal adverb meaning 'in any case' or 'regardless'. It is not a conjunction used to introduce a conditional clause. It does not fit the grammatical structure or the meaning of a conditional sentence.