Unit 13

Grammar focus: Conditionals

1. Future.

Use future conditional sentences to talk about what will happen under certain conditions. The if clause states the condition. The result clause states the result.

Use the Simple Present Tense in the if clause.

Use the Future with will or be going to in the result clause.

You can also use a modal in the result clause.

BE CAREFUL! Even though the if clause refers to the future, use the Simple Present Tense.

If you ring me up, I will tell you something.

If Baker wins the election, he’ll raise taxes.

If Smith wins, he’s going to improve housing.

If you want to vote, you must register.

If and unless can both be used in conditional sentences, but their meaning are very different.

Use unless to state a negative condition.

If you help her, you’ll get a good experience.

Unless you help her, you won’t get a good experience.

2. Present (Unreal)

Use present unreal conditional sentences to talk about unreal, untrue, imagined, or impossible conditions and their results.

The if clause presents the unreal condition.

The result clause presents the unreal result of that condition.

Use the Simple Past Tense in the if clause.

Use Future-in-the-Past Simple Tense (would + base form of the verb) in the result clause.

If I had more time, I would travel.

She would tell you if she knew the answer.

If I were rich, I would buy a yacht.

3. Past (Unreal)

Use past unreal conditional sentences to talk about past conditions and results that never happened.

The if clause presents the unreal condition.

The result clause presents the imagined result of that condition.

Use the Past Perfect Tense in the if clause.

Use Future-in-the-Past Perfect Tense (would have + past participle) in the result clause.

If the film had won an Oscar, it would have become famous right away.

I would have told her the news if I had seen her yesterday.

If you had been free I would have come to see you.

You can use modals in the result clause.

If George had gone to college, he might have become an architect.

If we had received the message, we could have helped you.

1. Open the brackets and provide the three types of the conditionals considered above.

E.g. If you (to be) busy, I (to leave) you alone.

If you are busy, I’ll leave you alone.

If you were busy, I would leave you alone.

If you had been busy, I would have left you alone.

1. If I (to get) a ticket, I (to go) to the theater. 2. If my niece (to return) earlier, we (to give) her the present. 3. If no one (to come) to help, we (to be) obliged to do the work ourselves. 4. If you (to save) the files, the computer (not to delete) them automatically. 5. They (not to fire) their employees if they (to perform) the duties outlined in their contracts. 6. If the spacecraft (to send) back more data about Jupiter's atmosphere, the research (to be) feasible.

2. Open the brackets.

If it (rain), we’ll have to stay at home. 2. If he (work) hard, he would have achieved great results. 3. If computer programmers were not in great demand, good ones (get) earn a very high salary. 4. He would have had a great trouble with his computer if the things (fix) by the techies. 5. His vocabulary will increase greatly if he (read) fifty pages a day. 6. If the Internet wasn’t slow and unreliable sometimes, users often (complain) of it. 7. If computer technology didn’t advance so rapidly, we (can-negative) call it advance itself. 8. If the project hadn’t eaten up time and money it (seem) to be getting nowhere fast. 9. If she (give) me their address I will write to them. 10. I’ll join him for the trip if he (want) me to. 11. She would me a much better student if she (not to be) so absent-minded. 12. He never (phone) you if I hadn’t reminded him to do that. 13. You will never finish your work if you (waste) your time like that. 14.If the license had been clearly displayed in the car windscreen, the police (not to cavil) at him. 15. Together we will compile an article for publication if the necessary material (find – find).