Improve the bracketed part of the sentence. If I (just had) the money, I would have bought the car in the past but could not do so.

Introduction / Context:

This sentence improvement question tests your understanding of unreal or hypothetical conditionals in the past, sometimes called third conditionals. These structures describe situations where something did not actually happen, but we imagine what would have happened if conditions had been different. Mastery of this pattern is very important in competitive exams that test English grammar and usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The original sentence is: If I (just had) the money I would have bought the car.
• The bracketed phrase just had is grammatically doubtful.
• The result clause I would have bought the car clearly refers to an unreal past situation.
• We must choose the best phrase to make the entire conditional grammatically correct and natural.

Concept / Approach:

A third conditional sentence normally has this structure: If + subject + had + past participle, subject + would have + past participle. It is used to describe events that did not happen in the past but are imagined hypothetically. For the verb have, the past participle is had, so we need had had after the auxiliary had. Learners often find this strange because had is repeated, but this is the standard and correct form in English.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Compare similar sentences to confirm the pattern. For example, If she had studied harder, she would have passed. If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train. If I had had more time, I would have visited you. In each case, the past perfect in the if clause expresses a condition that was not fulfilled. The phrase If I just had the money sounds like a present time wish rather than a past unreal situation, so it does not align with would have bought.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Have had is usually used in present perfect constructions such as I have had enough, and does not match the structure after if in this unreal past conditional.

Was having suggests an action in progress in the past, which does not combine naturally with would have bought in this context.

No improvement is wrong because the original phrase just had does not use the correct third conditional form and creates a tense mismatch.

Common Pitfalls:

Candidates often avoid had had because it looks repetitive or awkward. They may incorrectly choose have had or just had, thinking that one had is enough. To avoid this error, remember that had in had had plays two roles, auxiliary and main verb, and both are required for correct grammar. Another mistake is to ignore the time reference of would have bought and treat the sentence as if it were about the present.

Final Answer:

The correct improvement is had had, giving the sentence: If I had had the money, I would have bought the car.