In the following sentence improvement question, choose the correct conditional form or select the no improvement option: My brother would gladly given you his car if you had asked him.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks whether you understand the correct form of the third conditional in English, which is used for unreal situations in the past. The sentence describes something that did not actually happen: the person did not ask, so the brother did not give the car. The standard structure is would have plus past participle in the main clause and had plus past participle in the if clause. The original sentence incorrectly uses would gladly given, which is not a valid form.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The original sentence is: My brother would gladly given you his car if you had asked him.

The context is a hypothetical past situation.

The if clause you had asked him is correctly in the past perfect.

The main clause needs the appropriate form of would plus have plus past participle.

We must choose the option that makes the entire conditional sentence grammatically correct.

Concept / Approach:

Third conditional sentences talk about unreal situations in the past and their imaginary results. The basic pattern is: If plus subject plus had plus past participle, subject plus would have plus past participle. In this sentence, if you had asked him is the condition and the result should be my brother would have gladly given you his car. Therefore, we look for the option using would have gladly given with the correct verb form given. Options that omit have or misuse tenses must be rejected.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the sentence talks about a missed opportunity in the past, signalled by if you had asked him. Step 2: Recognise that the main clause must be in the form would have plus past participle for third conditional. Step 3: Examine option a: would gladly give you his car if you had asked him. This mixes present conditional with past perfect and is not standard for a purely past hypothetical. Step 4: Examine option b: would have gladly given you his car if you had asked him. This matches the correct structure: would have given. Step 5: Examine option c: would gladly gave you his car if you had asked him. Gave is simple past and cannot follow would. Step 6: Examine option d: No improvement is needed. This keeps would gladly given, which is grammatically wrong. Step 7: Examine option e: had gladly given you his car if you would have asked him. This reverses the order and misuses would have in the if clause. Step 8: Conclude that option b is the correct and fully grammatical conditional sentence.

Verification / Alternative check:

We can compare with model sentences: If you had studied harder, you would have passed the exam or If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train. In each case, the structure matches that in option b. Using would give or would gave or would have asked in the if clause would all be considered incorrect in formal grammar tests.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Option a uses would give with a past perfect condition, which suggests a mixed conditional and does not accurately represent a fully unreal past situation.

Option c combines would with gave, which is ungrammatical because would must be followed by the base form give.

Option d leaves the original error would gladly given unchanged.

Option e misplaces had and uses would have asked in the if clause, which is not standard for conditional clauses.

Common Pitfalls:

Learners frequently confuse the structures of second and third conditionals and sometimes mix them unintentionally. Another common error is forgetting the auxiliary have in the main clause after would, leading to forms like would given or would went. Practising the basic pattern and reading many examples helps fix the correct structure in memory.

Final Answer:

The correct sentence is: My brother would have gladly given you his car if you had asked him.