The GATE Grind

GATE 2016 CE (CE2) – Question 1

General Aptitude · Verbal Aptitude: Grammar and Vocabulary · 1 mark · Multiple choice

If I were you, I __________ that laptop. It’s much too expensive.

  1. won’t buy
  2. shan’t buy
  3. wouldn’t buy
  4. would buy

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (C) wouldn’t buy

Explanation

If I were you introduces an unreal present situation, whose main clause uses would plus the base verb. Because the laptop is described as too expensive, the intended advice is negative: **wouldn’t buy, C**. Won’t and shan’t do not match this counterfactual construction.