CONDITIONALS & MIXED CONDITIONALS

we express a general truth or we give advice. ZERO CONDITIONAL If you don’t water flowers, they die. If you have a headache, stop watching TV. If clause: PRESENT SIMPLE Main clause: PRESENT SIMPLE or IMPERATIVE With zero conditional we express a general truth or we give advice.

FIRST CONDITIONAL If the weather is nice, we will go for a walk. If you don’t apologize, she will never trust you again. If clause: PRESENT SIMPLE Main clause: FUTURE SIMPLE The first conditional refers to the present and future. It expresses a possible condition and its probable result in the future.

If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house. SECOND CONDITIONAL Jack wants to buy a house but he can’t do this because he doesn’t have any money. If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house.

If I knew his number, I would phone him. SECOND CONDITIONAL Susan wants to phone Paul but she can’t do this because she doesn’t know his number. If I knew his number, I would phone him.

SECOND CONDITIONAL If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house. If I knew his number, I would phone him. if-clause: PAST TENSE SIMPLE main clause: PRESENT CONDITIONAL would + infinitive The second conditional refers to the present and future. It expresses an unreal situation and its probable result. The situation or condition is improbable, impossible, imaginary, or contrary to known facts.

FIRST v. SECOND CONDITIONAL If John runs fast, he will win the race. This is still possible to happen. If John ran fast, he would win the race. This is unlikely to happen because John doesn’t run fast. THE DIFFERENCE: FIRST and SECOND CONDITIONAL Both conditionals refer to the present and future. The difference is about probability, not time. First conditional: real and possible situations Second conditional: unlikely to happen

If I had had a lot of money, I would have bought a big house. THIRD CONDITIONAL Jack wanted to buy a house last year but he couldn’t do that because he didn’t have any money. If I had had a lot of money, I would have bought a big house.

If I had known his number, I would have phoned him. THIRD CONDITIONAL Yesterday, Susan wanted to phone Paul but she couldn’t do that because she didn’t know his number. If I had known his number, I would have phoned him.

THIRD CONDITIONAL The third conditional refers to the past and If I had had a lot of money, I would have bought a big house. If I had known his number, I would have phoned him. if-clause: PAST PERFECT SIMPLE main clause: PAST CONDITIONAL would + have + past participle The third conditional refers to the past and it is not based on facts. It expresses the a situation which is contrary to reality in the past.

SECOND v. THIRD CONDITIONAL If I saw a car accident, I would call an ambulance. But I don’t see an accident now. This is unlikely to happen. If I had seen a car accident, I would have called an ambulance. But I didn’t see an accident yesterday. This is contrary to the fact in the past. THE DIFFERENCE: SECOND and THIRD CONDITIONAL The difference is about time. Second conditional: refers to the present and future Third conditional: refers to the past situations

ALL CONDITIONALS 0. If he drives carefully, he avoids the accident. General time reference. 1. If he drives carefully, he will avoid the accident tomorrow. This is still possible to happen. 2. If he drove carefully, he would avoid the accident today. But he doesn’t drive carefully. This is unlikely to happen. 3. If he had driven carefully, he would have avoided the accident yesterday. But he didn’t drive carefully, so he didn’t avoid the accident.

MIXED CONDITIONALS WE REFER TO MIXED CONDITIONALS WHEN WE DO NOT FOLLOW THE STANDARD ZERO,1ST ,2ND AND 3RD CONDTIONAL PATTERNS. TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MIXED CONDITIONALS ARE COMBINATIONS OF 2ND AND 3RD CONDITIONALS. TYPE ONE: TO TALK ABOUT THE PRESENT CONSEQUENCE OF A PAST ACTION, THE IF-CLAUSE FOLLOWS THE PATTERN OF A 3RD CONDITIONAL AND THE CONSEUQENCE CLAUSE FOLLOW THE PATTERN OF A 2ND CONDITIONAL: IF WE HAD LEFT EARLIER, WE WOULDN’T BE LATE. (= WE DIDN’T LEAVE EARLY ENOUGH AND WE ARE LATE NOW) TYPE TWO: WHEN THE IF-CLAUSE PRESENTS SOMETHING HYPOTHETICAL IN THE PRESENT TIME (2ND CONDITIONAL) THAT MADE SOMETHING FROM THE PAST NOT TO HAPPEN OR TO HAPPEN(3RD CONDITIONAL): IF I WAS FITTER, I WOULD HAVE WON THAT RACE. (= I’M NOT FIT ENOUGH SO I DIDN’T WIN THE RACE)

ALTERNATIVES TO IF WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW.OTHERWISE, WE’LL BE LATE. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO IF: AS LONG AS/ PROVIDED: THEY INDICATE IF AND ONLY IF: I’LL HELP YOU AS LONG AS /PROVIDED YOU HELP ME WITH MY HOMEWORK. 2. IMAGINE/SUPPPOSE: WE USE THEM WHEN WE ARE HYPOTHESISING ABOUT IMAGINARY SITUATIONS. SUPPOSE/IMAGINE YOU FOUND A $ 50 NOTE IN THE STREET. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? 3. UNLESS MEANS THE SAME AS IF NOT. UNLESS I PHONE, EXPECT ME AT 8 P.M. 4. OTHERWISE IS OFTEN USE WHEN WE WANT TO WARN SOMEONE ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE CONDITION IS NOT MET. WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW.OTHERWISE, WE’LL BE LATE.

OTHER STRUCTURES THERE ARE TWO OTHER STRUCTURES IN ENGLISH WHICH ARE CONSIDERED CONDITIONAL STRUCTURES: IF ONLY (I) WISH BOTH STRUCTURES COULD BE FOLLOWED BY A PAST SIMPLE OR A PAST PERFECT. WHEN THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY THE PAST SIMPLE THEY EXPRESS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAPPEN IN THE PRESENT OR FUTURE TIME: IF ONLY / I WISH I COULD SEE YOU WHEN I ARRIVE TO YORK. WHEN THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY PAST PERFECT THEY EXPRESS A PAST REGRET: IF ONLY/ SHE WISHES SHE HADN’T SAID THAT TO PAM.

INVERSIONS: Formal Style 1st Conditionals: (with ¨Should¨) ¨Should you need anything,I’ll be in the room¨= ¨If you need anything, I’ll be in the room¨. 2nd Conditionals: ( Was/Were …. To) ¨Were the situation to get worse, we would need to reconsider the position¨= ¨If the situation got worse, we would need to reconsider the position¨ 3rd Conditionals: (Had…..) ¨Had I known how late it was, I would have left early¨= ¨If I had known how late it was, I would have left early¨

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