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Conditionals

The document explains the four types of conditional sentences in English: zero, first, second, and third conditionals, along with mixed conditionals. Each type serves a different purpose, such as expressing permanent truths, realistic situations, improbable scenarios, or past regrets. The document provides examples and structures for each conditional type to aid in understanding and usage.

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14 views

Conditionals

The document explains the four types of conditional sentences in English: zero, first, second, and third conditionals, along with mixed conditionals. Each type serves a different purpose, such as expressing permanent truths, realistic situations, improbable scenarios, or past regrets. The document provides examples and structures for each conditional type to aid in understanding and usage.

Uploaded by

oolinn28
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to use conditionals in

English
• There are four conditionals in total
• What is a Conditional Sentence?
• (if)
• two parts to a conditional sentence – one part
beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible
situation, and the second part which describes the
consequence.

• e.g. If it rains, we’ll get wet.


• We can also invert the two parts of a conditional
sentence so that the ‘if’ part comes second, and
this is especially common in questions.

• e.g. What will you do if you miss the train?


• How can you finish the project if you don’t
have a computer?
• What happens if the students don’t pass an
exam?
• There are four types of conditional sentences:
• 0 – The zero conditional
• 1 – The first conditional
• 2 – The second conditional
• 3 – The third conditional
• It is also possible to mix the second and third
conditional. Let’s look at each conditional to see
how we use them.
• The Zero Conditional
• We use the zero conditional to talk about
permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and
general habits. The structure is simple:
• Here are some examples:
• If you heat water to 100°, it boils.
• If you eat a lot, you put on weight.
• If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the earth gets
very dry.
• If we go out with friends, we normally go to a
restaurant.
• If I’m tired, I go to bed early.
• The First Conditional
• We use the first conditional to talk about a
realistic situation in the present or future. The
structure of the first conditional is as follows:
• Here are some examples:
• If you’re free later, we can go for a walk.
• If they’re hungry, I’ll make some sandwiches.
• If you’re not back by 5pm, give me a ring.
• If he studies hard, he’ll do well in the exam.
• If we arrive late, we must get a taxi.
• He’ll call if he needs help.
• Take a break if you’re tired.
• Another way to make first conditional sentences
is to use ‘unless’ which means ‘only if’ or
‘except’. As with ‘if’, the word ‘unless’ can never
be followed by ‘will’ but only by the present
simple. For example:

• Unless you hurry up, you won’t catch the bus.


• I’ll carry on doing this work, unless my boss tells
me to do something else.
• We’ll stay at home unless the weather improves.
• The Second Conditional
• We use the second conditional to talk about
improbable or impossible situations in the
present or future. Here is the structure:
• If I had more time, I’d exercise more. (But I don’t
have more time so I don’t.)
• If I were rich, I’d spend all my time travelling.
(But I’m not rich so I can’t.)
• If she saw a snake, she’d be terrified.
• If he didn’t have to work late, he could go out
with his girlfriend.
• What would you do if you were offered a job in
Canada?
• You wouldn’t have to walk everywhere if you
bought a bike.
• A common expression used to give advice has the
second conditional structure. The expression is ‘
If I were you, I’d..’, meaning ‘in your situation,
this is what I would do’. For example:
• A: I’ve got a headache.
• B: If I were you, I’d take an aspirin.
• A: I don’t understand this.
• B: If I were you, I’d ask your teacher for help.
• A: This order won’t be delivered on time.
• B: If I were you, I’d phone the customer to let
them know.
• The Third Conditional
• We use the third conditional to talk about impossible
situations, as in the second conditional, in the past.
We often use the third conditional to describe regrets.
The structure is:

• If+had+ past participle, would+ have+past


participle
• Here are some examples:
• If we had left earlier, we would have arrived on time.
• If you hadn’t forgotten her birthday, she wouldn’t
have been upset.
• If they had booked earlier, they could have
found better seats.
• If I hadn’t learnt English, I wouldn’t have got
this job.
• What would you have studied if you hadn’t done
engineering?
• They wouldn’t have hired you if you hadn’t had
some experience abroad.
• You could have helped me if you’d stayed later.
• Mixed Conditionals
• It’s possible to combine the second and third
conditional in one sentence when we want to make a
hypothesis about the past that has a consequence in the
present. In this case, the structure is:

• Here are some examples:


• If you’d studied harder, you’d be at a higher level
now.
• We’d be lying on a beach now if we hadn’t
missed the plane.

• They’d have much more confidence if they hadn’t


lost so many matches.

• What would you be doing now if you hadn’t


decided to study?
• Now you’ve seen all the English conditionals,
start practicing by using them whenever you can.
Make some of your own examples following the
structure patterns written. If you practice, using
conditionals will become easy!

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