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Conditionals

There are three types of conditional sentences: 1) Type 1 uses the present tense (if/when...will) to talk about possible or likely present or future events. 2) Type 2 uses the past tense (if/when...would) to talk about unlikely or imaginary present or future events. 3) Type 3 uses the past perfect tense (if/when...would have...) to talk about unlikely or imaginary past events. The document provides examples for each type and discusses possible variations in their structure.

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21 views

Conditionals

There are three types of conditional sentences: 1) Type 1 uses the present tense (if/when...will) to talk about possible or likely present or future events. 2) Type 2 uses the past tense (if/when...would) to talk about unlikely or imaginary present or future events. 3) Type 3 uses the past perfect tense (if/when...would have...) to talk about unlikely or imaginary past events. The document provides examples for each type and discusses possible variations in their structure.

Uploaded by

uaiau
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Conditionals

If it rains, we will stay at home.


if-clause

main clause

There are three basic types of conditional sentences:


Type 1 :
If he runs, he will get there in time.
hello.
I wont buy it if its too expensive.
press this button?
If-clause: Present Simple

If I see him, I will say


What will happen if I

Main clause:

will

Type 2 :
If it rained, I would stay at home.
say hello.
I wouldnt buy it if it was too expensive.
pressed this button?

If I saw them, I would


What would happen if I

If I were you, I would phone him. What kind of car would you buy if
you could drive?
If-clause: Past Simple

Main clause:

would

Type 3 :
If it had rained, I would have stayed at home.
would have said hello.

If I had seen you, I

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I wouldnt have bought it if it had been too expensive.


What would have happened if I had pressed this button?
If-clause: Past Perfect

Main clause:

would have + past participle

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Possible variations of the basic forms


Type 1 :
If you are ready, you can leave.
If the fog gets thicker, we might / may not see anything.
If you want to lose weight, you should / must eat less
bread.
If you want to lose weight, eat less bread.
If you see Tom, could you ask him to phone me?
If we heat ice, it turns into water.
If you are looking for Peter, you will find him upstairs.
If he has finished the letter, Ill post it.
Type 2 :
You would succeed if you tried again.
You might succeed if you tried again.
If I knew his number, I could ring him up.
If I were on holiday, I would/might be touring Italy now.
If my car was working, I would / could drive you to the
station.
Type 3 :
If we had found him earlier, we could have saved his life.
If we had found him earlier, we might have saved his
life.
If Tom had not been there, I would have been sitting
next to Jim.
If I hadnt been wearing a seat belt, I would have been
seriously injured.

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A mixture of types 2 and 3 :


If he had taken my advice, he would be a rich man now.
She would know the answer if she had learnt harder.

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