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Conditional Sentences

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10 views

Conditional Sentences

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juanybologg
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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GRAMMAR: EXPRESSING CONDITIONS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE I
TYPES OF CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Type Form Meaning


Zero If / When + Present Simple or Continuous, + Present Simple A true situation or
e.g. If I work late, I get tired. general truth in the
If / When + Past Simple or Continuous, + Past Simple present or past
e.g. If it was snowing, we stayed at home.
1 If + Present Simple, + will A real situation or a
e.g. If you keep driving like that, you’ll have an accident. possibility in the
future
2 If + Past Simple, + would A hypothetical
e.g. If I knew the answer, I would tell you. situation
Note: the verb be usually takes the form were for all the
persons.
3 If + Past Perfect, + would have + past participle A hypothetical past
e.g. If I had known you were coming, I would have met situation or
you at the station. something imposible
to change about the
OTHER TENSES AND WAYS OF MAKING CONDITIONAL
SENTENCES

 Type 1:
1. going to can replace will:
e.g. If you fall, you’re going to hurt yourself.
2. Present Perfect to emphasise the completion after if:
e.g. If you’ve finished, then you’ll go.
3. An imperative instead of if, in everyday speech:
e.g. Sit down, and I’ll make you a cup of tea. (If you sit down,…)
4. If + adjective:
e.g. If necessary, take a taxi. (If it is necessary,…)
5. Even if expresses something will happen whatever the condition:
OTHER TENSES AND WAYS OF MAKING CONDITINAL
SENTENCES

 Type 2:
1. With modal verb could:
e.g. If you had the money, you could help your parents.
2. were to makes the event more hypothetical:
e.g. If I were to ask you to marry me, what would you say?
3. Supposing and Suppose can replace if, in everyday speech:
e.g. Supposing you won the football pools, what would you do?
4. If it were not for describes how an event depends on another:
e.g. If it were not for Jim, the company would be in a mess.
OTHER TENSES AND WAYS OF MAKING CONDITINAL
SENTENCES

 Type 3:
1. With modal verb might:
e.g. If you hadn’t reminded me, I might have forgotten.
2. But for is followed by a noun form and used in formal language:
e.g. But for your help, we would have been in trouble.
3. If only adds a sense of regret to the past event:
e.g. If only I hadn’t drunk too much, this wouldn’t have happened.
4. If it hadn’t been for describes how an event depended on another:
e.g. If it hadn’t been for their goalkeeper, United would have lost.
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS FOR CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

 If only
 Unless
 Provided / Providing
 So/As long as
 Suppose / Supposing
 Even if
 On condition that
 But for
 In case of / In the event of
 Or else
SOURCE: ADVANCED LANGUAGE PRACTICE BY MICHAEL VINCE

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