Everyday English
if it wasn't for
without someone or something
You use this phrase to say that a situation would be different without a particular person or thing.
Hear it in real life
How did you manage after the accident?
If it wasn't for my neighbours, I would have struggled.
If it wasn't for public transport, I couldn't get to work every day.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: If it wasn't my sister, I wouldn't have moved here.
Say: If it hadn't been for my sister, I wouldn't have moved here.
Keep “for” after “wasn't” and use “hadn't been” for a past counterfactual.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
If it wasn't for my sister, I'd never have moved here; if it hadn't been for my sister, I wouldn't have moved here
Your turn: say it out loud
If it wasn't for public transport, I couldn't get to work every day.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
if it wasn't for
without someone or something
“If it wasn't for public transport, I couldn't get to work every day.”
heytardy
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