Factual Conditionals Ron Cowan, Ph.D. PP slides: Yuri Vedrashko November 2006

If the gas is heated, it expends. If she plays bridge with him, they always lose big. If she wants to go skiing, that’s what they do. If Jim doesn’t find his passport, he may be deported. If he’s vacationing in Florida now, he’s probably getting a great tan. It must be Bill if that call is for me. If he has an IQ of 182, then I’m another Einstein! If anyone has a clue here, it must be Jane.

General types Factual conditionals express a fact and can be Timeless Time-bound

Factual conditionals Can be further broken down into A Timeless Generic Habitual B Time-bound Implicit inference Explicit inference

Factual conditionals A Timeless Generic

Factual / timeless / generic If the gas is heated, it expends. If the temperature is below “0”, the water freezes. If the water is heated, it evaporates. Meaning: a fact that holds for all time, such as a scientific truth Form: The main verb is in Present tense in both clauses

Factual conditionals A Timeless Generic Habitual

Factual / timeless / habitual If she plays bridge with him, they always lose big. If she wanted to go skiing, that’s what they did. Whenever (if) he takes her on a trip, they always get into a fight over where to stay. Meaning: past or present relationships that are usually but not always true. Form: The main verb is in Present or Past tense in both clauses. It also occurs with.

Factual conditionals A Timeless Generic Habitual B Time-bound Implicit inference

Factual / time-bound / implicit inference If we can save the bald eagle from extinction, we can certainly ensure the survival of all endangered species. If we can eliminate air pollution in Deli, we can do it everywhere. If you can beat Federer, you can sweep all the rest of them. Meaning: If-clause indicates an event that is bounded in time. T he result clause refers to an action or event that can be logically inferred from this. Form: The main verb is in Present tense in both clauses. Modal verbs are often used too.

Factual conditionals A Timeless Generic Habitual B Time-bound Implicit inference Explicit inference

Factual / time-bound / explicit inference If it’s still snowing out there, my car must be covered. If that call is for me, it should be Sam. If the door was locked, then the thief must have come through the window. If he has a villa here, he must be rich. Meaning: An explicit inference is made in the result-clause about some time-bound event, action or fact. Form: Modal verbs, along with, are often used. Also a wider range of tenses can occur in both clauses.

More on explicit inference Meaning: Sarcastic statements often take the form of explicit inference conditionals Form: Present tense Examples: If he has an IQ of 182, then I’m another Einstein! If this man is guilty, then who is not?

Factual conditionals A Timeless Generic Habitual B Time-bound Implicit inference Explicit inference

The end of Factual conditionals What would you like to do now? Back to the Introduction Future conditionals Imaginative conditionals