Problems with a particular sentence

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Hi everybody,I don't understand this sentence:David Coulthard admits that were it not for safety improvementsin recent years, the accident - which saw Luciano Burti's Prost hit a tyre barrier at nearly full speed, would have been fatal. The "that were it not" part is especially strange for me. It is from a BBC article:http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/sport/words/0109.shtmlCould you explain it for me?Thanks for your help in advance.

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

Were it not for X... means If X were not there... or If X had not happened...
In your example it means The safety improvements in recent years resulted in the driver surviving an accident which would have been fatal if these safety measures had not been made..

CalifJim · Answer

Hole One a New SeeThe "that were it not" part is especially strange for me.

In that case you need to learn a few alternate ways of framing if-clauses.

1 If Jake goes across the bridge, he will see the house on the left.
2 = Should Jake go across the bridge, he will see the house on the left.

3 If Jake went across the bridge, he would see the house on the left.
4 = If Jake were to go across the bridge, he would see the house on the left.
5 = Were Jake to go across the bridge, he would see the house on the left.

Example 5 is relevant to your example: If it were not for = Were it not for
_______

Secondly, you need to become familiar with the idiom if it weren't for.

If it weren't for the bad weather, we could have a picnic.
(If the bad weather were not preventing us from doing so, we could have a picnic.)
If it weren't for the help of his friends, Larry would never succeed.
(If his friends didn't help him, Larry would never succeed.)
If it weren't for electronic calculators, I would never be able to compute my income taxes.
(If electronic calculators did not exist, I would never be able to compute my income taxes.)

It's often a substitute for if it hadn't been for, which has essentially the same meaning.

If it weren't for the intervention of the police, the thief would have gotten away.
(If it hadn't been for the intervention of the police, the thief would have gotten away.)
(If the police had not intervened, the thief would have gotten away.)

Your example has this substitution.
____________

David Coulthard admits that were it not for safety improvements in recent years, the accident ... would have been fatal.
=
David Coulthard admits that
if safety improvements had not occurred in recent years, the accident ... would have been fatal.

CJ

Hole One a New See · Answer

So an inversion and an idiom. Niiiiiice. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Thanks for your help and explanations, people.

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