1. Conditional Sentences Dragana Filipović

2. Conditions deal with imagined situations: some are possible, some are unlikely, some are impossible.

3. Conditional clauses are usually introduced by the subordinating conjunction if: If it rains, we’ll stay in the house.

4. The first conditional If + present simple + future tense ( e.g. will / shall) or modal verb with future reference ( e.g. may) A speaker or writer predicts a likely result in the future if the condition is fulfilled. If Sally comes too, there’ll be five of us.

5. If they promote her, she’ll get a big pay rise. We won’t have enough time if we want to do some shopping too.

6. The second conditional If + past simple tense + would / could/ might + infinitive A speaker or writer responds to a possible or hypothetical situation by indicating a possible outcome. The condition must be fulfilled for the present or future to be different.

7. If I knew what you wanted, maybe I could help you. (I don’t know what you want. You must tell me.) I would do a computer course if I had the time. (I don’t have the time.) If I were you, I would tell him the truth. or: If I was you… (I am not you.)

8. The third conditional If + past perfect tense + modal verb (e.g. would / could / might) + perfect infinitive (have + past participle) An imagined past situation is described. We are talking about a past event which did not happen, and therefore things are different from how they might have been.

9. If I had seen you walking, I could have offered you a lift. (She didn’t see you.) Tessa would have been furious if she had heard him say that. (She didn’t hear him.) If she had gone there, she might have enjoyed it. (She didn’t go there.)

10. Unless = if not She won’t come unless you invite her personally. (= She won’t come if you don’t invite her personally.) Unless you can reduce the weight of that case, I’m afraid you won’t be allowed on the flight. (= If you can’t reduce …)

11. Real situations If you want to learn the guitar, you really need to practise for at least a couple of hours a day. (for any person who wants to learn) If I criticised her unfairly, then I always apologized. (It did sometimes happen that I criticised her and I did apologise.)

12. If you have a toothache as bad as that, you must go to a dentist today. If steel is exposed to air and water, it resists rust for a considerable length of time. If you are getting backache all the time, then you are not sitting properly. Come over tomorrow around five unless my secretary contacts you.

13. Mixed conditionals If he hadn’t graduated with top marks, now he wouldn’t have such a good job. If the island were still a tourist attraction, last week’s earthquake would have caused far more deaths.

14. The End