1. Conditional sentences and wishes
Chapter 20

2. Overview of basic verb form used in conditional sentences
Situation
If-Clause
Result Clause
Examples
True in the Present or Future
Simple present
Will + simple form
If I have enough time, I watch TV every evening.
If I have enough time, I will watch TV later on tonight.
Untrue in the Present or Future
Simple past
Would + simple form
If I had enough time, I would watch TV (now or in the future).
Untrue in the Past
Past perfect
Would have + past participle
If I had enough time, I would have watched TV yesterday.

3. Complete the sentences with the verbs in parentheses
I usually send my parents an every week. That is a true fact. In other words:
If I (have) ________________ enough time, I (send) ____________ my parents an every week.

4. I may have enough time to send my parents an email later tonight
I may have enough time to send my parents an later tonight. I want to send them an tonight. Both of those things are true. In other words:
If I (have)___________enough time, I (send) ___________ my parents an later tonight.

5. I don’t have enough time right now, so I won’t send my parents an . I’ll try to do it later. I want to them, but the truth is that I just don’t have enough time right now. In other words:
If I (have) _________ enough time right now, I (send) ____________ my parents an .

6. I won’t have enough time tonight, so I won’t send my parents an email
I won’t have enough time tonight, so I won’t send my parents an . I’ll try to do it tomorrow. I want to them, but the truth is I just won’t have enough time. In other words:
If I (have) __________ enough time later tonight, I (send) ____________my parents an .

7. I wanted to send my parents an email last night, but I didn’t have enough time. In other words:
If I (have) ______________ enough time, I (send) _________________ my parents an last night.

8. True in the present or future
In conditional sentences that express true, factual ideas in the present or future, the simple present (NOT the simple future) is used in the IF-clause.
The result clause (THEN-clause) has various possible forms.
SIMPLE PRESENT = expresses a habitual activity or situation
If I don’t eat breakfast, I always get hungry during class.
SIMPLE PRESENT OR SIMPLE FUTURE = expresses an established, predictable fact or general truth
Water freezes/will freeze if the temperature reaches 32 degrees F/0 degrees C.
SIMPLE FUTURE = expresses a particular activity or situation in the future
If I don’t eat breakfast tomorrow morning, I will get hungry during class.
MODALS and IMPERATIVE VERBS can also be used to express other outcomes
If it rains, we should stay home.
If it rains, I might decide to stay home.
If it rains, we can’t go.
If it rains, we’re going to stay home.
If anyone calls, please take a message.

9. True in the Present or future
Sometimes SHOULD is used in an IF-clause.
It indicates a little more uncertainty than the use of the simple present, but basically the meaning is the same whether SHOULD is used or not.
If anyone calls, please take a message.
If anyone should call, please take a message.

10. Choose the correct verb (both answers may be correct)
If I find out the answer, I will let / let you know.
If I have extra time, I tutor / am going to tutor students in math.
If it snows, the roads are / will be closed.
If you run up a hill, your heart beats / will beat faster.
If it should rain tomorrow, we might change / will change our plans.
If my cell phone battery goes dead, I will recharge / would recharge it.

11. Listening Practice
Complete Exercise 6, p. 418

12. Untrue (contrary to fact) in the present or future
If-Clause = Simple Past
Then Clause = Would + Simple Form
If I taught this class, I wouldn’t give tests.
If they were here right now, they would help us.
If I were you, I would accept their invitation.
Note: Were is used for both singular and plural subjects. Was (with I/he/she/it) is sometimes used in informal speech (If I was you…), but this is not acceptable in writing.

13. Would vs. Could If I had enough money, I would buy a car.
The speaker wants a car, but doesn’t have enough money.
WOULD expresses desired or predictable results.
If I had enough money, I could buy a car.
The speaker is expressing one possible result.
COULD expresses possible options

14. Practice
Complete Exercises 8 and 10, p

15. Untrue (Contrary to fact) In the past
Past Perfect If-Clause – Would Have + Past Participle Result Clause:
If you had told me about the problem, I would have helped you.
Meaning: In truth, you did NOT tell me about it, so I did NOT help you.
If they had studied, they would have passed the exam.
Meaning: In truth, they did not study, so they failed the exam.
If I hadn’t slipped on the stairs, I wouldn’t have broken my arm.
Meaning: In truth, I slipped on the stairs, so I DID break my arm.

16. Untrue (Contrary to fact) In the past
Note: when speaking, the auxiliary verbs (have/has) are often reduced
(Sometimes in very informal speech they may be dropped/not pronounced all together):
If you’d told me, I would’ve helped you. OR
If you’d told me, I-duv helped you.
Sometimes the ‘d on you is not pronounced either

17. Untrue (Contrary to fact) In the past
Would VS. Could
Would expressed a desired or predictable result:
If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car.
Buying the car is what I wanted to do if I had the money/would have been the preferred thing for me to do with the money
Could expresses a possible option:
If I had had enough money, I could have bought a car.
Buying the car is one possible thing I could have done with the money

18. Decide if each sentence is true or untrue
If the weather is warm, we’ll eat outdoors.
If the weather were warm, we would eat outdoors.
If the weather had been warm, we would have eaten outdoors.
If I had more money, I would work less.
If I had more money, I would have worked less.
If I take time off from work, I feel more relaxed.
If I hadn’t had to work, I could have seen you.
If I didn’t have to work, I could see you.

19. Listening Practice
Complete Exercises 20 (p. 424) and 22 (p. 426)

20. Practice
Complete Exercises 15, 16, 17, 21, and 23 p

21. Using Progressive verb forms in conditional sentences
Even in conditional sentences, progressive verb forms are used in progressive situations (chart 1-2 on p. 3 reviews when to use progressive forms)
True: It is raining right now, so I will not go for a walk.
Conditional: If it were raining right now, I would go for a walk.
True: It was raining yesterday afternoon, so I did not go for a walk.
Conditional: If it had not been raining, I would have gone for a walk.

22. Practice
Complete Exercise 27, p 428

23. Using “Mixed Time” in Conditional sentences
Frequently the time in the if-clause and the result clause are different:
One clause may be in the present and the other in the past.
The past and present times are mixed in these sentences.
True: I did not eat breakfast several hours ago, so I am hungry now.
Did not eat = past + am hungry = present
Conditional: If I had eaten breakfast several hours ago, I would not be hungry now.
Had eaten = past untrue conditional + would not be hungry = present untrue conditional

24. Using “Mixed Time” in Conditional sentences
Another Example:
He is not a good student. He did not study for the test yesterday.
Is not = present + did not study = past
If he were a good student, he would have studied for the test yesterday.
Were = present untrue conditional + would have studied = past untrue conditional

25. Change each statement to a conditional sentence
Example:
I’m hungry now because I didn’t eat dinner.
Hungry = present / didn’t eat = past
If I’d eaten dinner, I wouldn’t be hungry now.

26. The room is full of flies because you left the door open.

27. You are tired this morning because you didn’t go to bed early enough last night.

28. I didn’t finish my report yesterday, so I can’t begin a new project today.

29. I’m not you, so I didn’t tell him the truth.

30. I don’t know anything about plumbing, so I didn’t fix the leak in the sink myself.

31. Anita got sick because she didn’t follow the doctor’s orders.

32. Omitting IF
With were and had (past perfect) sometimes IF is omitted and the subject and verb are inverted (they swap places):
If I were you, I wouldn’t do that.
Were I you, I wouldn’t do that.
If I had known, I would have told you.
Had I known, I would have told you.
If anyone should call, please take a message.
Should anyone call, please take a message

33. Omitting IF
IF can also be omitted with should, but in these cases Should gets moved in front of the S+V:
If anyone should call, please take a message.
Should anyone call, please take a message

34. Practice
Complete Exercise 31, p. 429

35. Implied conditions Often, the IF-clause is implied, not stated.
Usually the implied IF-clause comes after the result
The result clause still uses conditional verbs
Examples:
If I hadn’t had to study, I would have gone with you.
I would have gone with you, but I had to study.
If you hadn’t helped me, I never would have succeeded.
I never would have succeeded without your help.

36. Implied conditions
Conditional verbs are frequently used following otherwise:
If she had not run, she would have missed the bus.
She ran; otherwise, she would have missed the bus.
If she had not studied hard for the test, she would not have passed it.
She studied hard for the test; otherwise, she would not have passed it.

37. Change the implied conditions to sentences including an if-clause
Example:
I would have visited you, but I didn’t know that you were at home.
I would have visited you if I had know you were at home. OR
If I had known you were at home, I would have visited you.

38. Ift wouldn’t have been a good meeting without Rosa.

39. I would have answered the phone, but I didn’t hear it ring.

40. I couldn’t have finished the work without your help.

41. I would have gone to Nepal last summer, but I didn’t have enough money.

42. I stepped on the brakes. Otherwise, I would have hit the child on the bicycle.

43. Olga turned down the volume on the speakers
Olga turned down the volume on the speakers. Otherwise, the neighbors probably would have called to complain about the noise.

44. Tarek would have finished his education, but he had to quit school and find a job in order to support his family.

45. Practice Complete Exercise 36, p. 431-432
Complete Exercise 37, p – come up with one completion for each.

46. Verb Forms Following Wish
Wish is used when the speaker wants reality to be different (for the situation to be the opposite of what it actually is)
I wish + noun clause (see chart 12-5 p. 253 to review noun clauses)
Past verb forms, similar to those in conditional sentences, are used in the noun clause.

47. Verb Forms Following Wish
A wish about the future:
True: She will not tell me.
Wish: I wish (that) she would tell me.
Would, the past tense of will, is used to make a wish about the future.
True: He isn’t going to be here.
Wish: I wish (that) he were going to be here.
Were going to be (the past tense of is going to be), is used to make a wish about the future.
Note that as with untrue present/future conditionals, WERE is used regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural
True: She can’t come tomorrow.
Wish: I wish (that) she could come tomorrow.

48. Verb Forms Following Wish
Wishes about the present:
True: I don’t know French.
Wish: I wish I knew French.
The simple past (knew) is used to make a wish about the present.
True: It is raining right now.
I wish it weren’t raining right now.
Weren’t raining (past tense for is raining) is used to make a wish about the present.
I can’t speak Japanese.
I wish I could speak Japanese.

49. Verb Forms Following Wish
Wishes about the past:
Truth: John didn’t come.
Wish: I wish John had come.
The past perfect (had come) is used to make a wish about the past.
Truth: Mary couldn’t come.
Wish: I wish Mary could have come.

50. Practice
Complete Exercises 40 and 42, p

51. Using WOULD to make wishes about the future
Would is usually used to indicate that the speaker wants something to happen or wants someone else to do something in the future.
The wish may or may not come true.
It is raining. I wish it would stop.
Meaning: I want it to stop raining.
I’m expecting a call. I wish the phone would ring.
Meaning: I want the phone to ring.

52. Using WOULD to make wishes about the future
I wish you would….. If often used to make a request:
It’s going to be a good party. I wish you would come.
Meaning: I want you to come to the party/I’m asking you to come to the party.
We’re going to be late. I wish you would hurry up.
Meaning: I’m asking you to please be faster.

53. Listening practice
Complete Exercise 45, p

54. practice
Complete Exercise 44, p. 436
Complete chapter review handout.