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10-11 Conditional Sentence

The document discusses conditional sentences in English grammar. There are two types of conditional sentences: real (factual or habitual) and unreal (contrary to fact or hypothetical). Real conditionals use modal verbs like will or can to express possibilities. Unreal conditionals use modal verbs like would or could to express unlikely or impossible situations, and require the past tense in "if" clauses. The document provides examples of conditional sentences and their structures to illustrate the different types.

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92 views

10-11 Conditional Sentence

The document discusses conditional sentences in English grammar. There are two types of conditional sentences: real (factual or habitual) and unreal (contrary to fact or hypothetical). Real conditionals use modal verbs like will or can to express possibilities. Unreal conditionals use modal verbs like would or could to express unlikely or impossible situations, and require the past tense in "if" clauses. The document provides examples of conditional sentences and their structures to illustrate the different types.

Uploaded by

Mega
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Conditional

Sentence
The modals will, would, can, and could often
appear in conditional sentences. Usually
conditional sentences contain the word if.
There are two types of conditionals: the real
(factual and habitual) and the unreal (contrary
to fact or hypothetical). The real, or "future
possible", as it is sometimes called, is used
when the speaker expresses an action or
situation which usually occurs, will occur if the
circumstances in the main clause are met.
Hypothetical situation: If I am not planning
anything for this evening, when someone asks me
if I want to go to the movies, I say:
If I have the time, I will go.
X Y

(I will go unless I don't have time.)


(If X is true, then Y is true.)

If my headache disappears, we can play tennis.


(I will play tennis unless I have a headache.)
However, the unreal condition
expresses a situation (past, present,
or future) that would take place or
would have taken place if the
circumstances expressed were or
had been different now or in the
past.
Hypothetical situation: If I don't have time to go
to the movie but I actually want to go, I say:
• If I had the time, I would go.
(I know I don't have time, and therefore, I can't go to
the movie.)
This sentence is contrary to fact because I cannot go.

• If today were Saturday, we could go to the


beach.
(Today is not Saturday, so we can't go to the beach.)
In the unreal condition, the past tense form of be
is always were in a conditional sentence; it never
be was in correct English.
• If I were…..
• If you were…..
• If he were…..
• If she were…..
• If it were…..
• If we were…..
• If you were…..
• If they were…..
Unreal condition sentences are
difficult for foreign students to
understand because it seems that the
truth value of a sentence is the
opposite of the way the sentence
appears. If a verb in an unreal
conditional sentence is negative, the
meaning is actually positive; if a verb
is positive, the meaning is actually
negative.
If I were rich, I would travel around the world.
(I am not rich). (I'm not going to travel around the world.)

We would have left yesterday, if it hadn't snowed.


(We didn't leave yesterday.) (It snowed.)

Remember that the following rules can be


reversed. The if clause can go either at the
beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
Real Conditions (Possibly True)
Future Time
will
If + subject + simple present tense…+ can + [verb in simple form]
(VI) may (VI)
must
 

• If I have the money, I will buy a new car.

• We will have plenty of time to finish the


project before dinner if it is only ten o'clock
now.
Habitual

If + subject + simple present tense…+ simple present tense

• If the doctor has morning office hours, he visits his


parents in the hospital in the afternoon. (no modal)

• John usually walks to school if he has enough time.


Command
If + subject + simple present tense…+ command form*

• If you go to the post office, please mail this


letter for me.
• Please call me, if you hear from Jane.

*Remember that command form consists of the


simple form of the verb.
Unreal Conditions (Not True)
Present or Future Time
would
If + subject + simple past tense…+ could + [verb in simple form]
(VII) might (VI)

If I had the time, I would go to the beach with you this weekend.
(I don't have the time.) (I'm not going to the beach with you.)
 
He would tell you about it if he were here.
(He won't tell you about it.) (He's not here.)
 
If he didn't speak so quickly, you could understand him.
(He speaks very quickly) (You can't understand him.)
Past Time
would
If + subject + past perfect.…+ could + have + [verb in past participle]
(had+VIII) might (VIII)

If we had known that you were there, we would have written you a letter.
(We didn't know that you were there.) (We didn't write you a letter.)
 
She would have sold the house if she had found the right buyer.
(She didn't sell the house.) (She didn't find the right buyer.)
 
If we hadn't lost our way, we would have arrived sooner.
(We lost our way.) (We didn't arrive early.)
It is also possible to indicate a past unreal condition without using
the word if. In this case, the auxiliary had is placed before, rather
than after, the subject. This clause will usually come first in the
sentence.

Had + subject + [verb in past participle]….

• Had we known that you were there, we would


have written you a letter.

• Had she found the right buyer, she would have


sold the house.
EXERCISES
Are these real or unreal conditional sentences? (A)
1. If we had travelled together we would have saved
money. Unreal
2. If you're scared of spiders, don't go into the garden.
3. Where would you choose if you could live anywhere in
the world?
4. If he recognised me, he certainly didn't show any sign
of it.
5. She'll be furious if she finds out the truth.
6. You would know the answer if you had read the book.
7. You'll have to take a taxi home if you want to leave now.
8. If you had taken that job in Norway, you'd have been
able to learn to ski.
No one would have attended the lecture if you told the truth about the guest speaker.
A B C D

If Rudy would have studied German in college, he would not have found the scientific
A B C
terminology so difficult to understand.
D

If a crisis would occur, those unfamiliar with the procedures would not know
A B C
how to handle situation.
D

If Monique had not attended the conference, she never would meet
A B
her old friend Dan, whom she had not seen in years.
C D

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