Grammar: If-Clauses/ Conditionals

 Grammar: If-Clauses/ Conditionals  

If – Clauses/ Conditional Sentences

 

• Conditional sentences are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen.
• The most common word use is: word if.
• These conditional sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause.
• “Unless” which is equivalent to “if”, is used in most of the negative conditional sentences in stead of “If”.

There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English.

1. Type: 0    Zero Conditional

   

     If Clause+ , + Main Clause

    If +Condition+, +Result

    Present Simple +Present Simple

    If +Sub+ v1/v5+obj +, + Sub + v1/v5+obj

    If this thing happens, that thing happens

 

-         Make sentences about:

• Real world
• General truths
• Habits
• Typical behaviours
• Explanations
• Guidelines
• Advices
• Orders
• Instructions
• Scientific facts etc.   For instance:

    If you smoke more, you get old early.
    If you boil water, it evaporates.
    If you stand in the rain, you get wet.
    If you heat the ice, it melts.
    If you want to be fit, you need to do exercise everyday.
    If I listen to loud music, I always have a headache.
    If you are tired, you go to bed early.
    If you pour oil on water, it floats.
    If you heat ice, it melts.
    If it rains, the grass gets wet.

 

 

2. Type: 1    First Conditional

          If + Present Simple+, + Future Simple

          Sub+ v1/v5+ obj+, + Sub+ will/shall+v1+obj

          If + Present Simple+, + Sub+ Model verb+ infinitive +obj

          Sub+ v1/v5+ obj+, + Sub+can/may/should+ v1+obj

          If + Present Simple+, + Impreative

          Sub+ v1/v5+ obj+, + v1+obj

 

         

-         Make sentences about:

• Express a possibility in the future( not certain to be happen but possibility)
• Talk about real and possible situations in the future.
• Predictions
• Make promises.
• Cause and Consequences etc. For instance:

    If it rains, we will cancel the trip.

    If you study hard, you will pass the final exam.

    If you don’t hurry, we will miss the train.

    If I have enough money, I will buy a car.

    If I am not busy, I will help you.

    If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, we will go on a picnic.

    If I find your email, I will send you the reference materials.

    Nobody will notice if you make a mistake.

    What will you do if you miss the bus?

    If you study hard, you can pass your exam.

    If he wants to get succeed, he should study hard.

    If you lend him some money, he may not give it back to you.

    If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.

    If Jack comes, call me.

    If you drink wine, don’t drive.

    If you go to Australia, send me a smart phone.

    If you travel abroad, remember to carry your passport

 

3. Type: 2    Second Conditional

          If + Past Simple+, + Present Conditional/would + infinitive

          If + Sub+ v2+obj+, + Sub+ would+ v1 + obj (could/ might/should)

 

-         Make sentences about:

• Hypothetical condition and its possible result.
• Unreal situation in the present or in the future.

 

          I had 10 million dollars, I would buy a beautiful house in New York.

          What would you do if you won the lottery?

          If I won a lottery, I would buy a Mercedes.

          If I had leisure time, I would learn Chinese.

          If it rained, we should stay indoors.

          If I understood what the teacher said, I could tell you.

          If you gave me your ticket, I could go to the concert.

          If I felt brave, I might get her mobile number.

 

 

 

4. Type: 3    Third Conditional

 

If + Past Perfect+ Perfect Conditional/Would have + Past Participle

If +Sub+ had+ v3+obj+, + Sub + would have +v3 +obj (could/should/ might)

 

-         Make sentences about:

• Imaginary situations in the past.
• Past action that didn’t happen and its imaginary result in the past.
• Regrets
• Criticism 

    If I had got the first rank, I would have extremely been happy.

    If the weather had been comfortable, we would have gone for boating.

    If you had asked her she would have helped you.

    If Sarala hadn’t been so careless, she would not have lost her wallet.

    If I had studied well, I would have passed the entrance.

 

5. Type:   Mixed Conditional (Second and Third Conditionals)

         

          If + Past Perfect + Past Conditional/Would+v1 (Infinitive)

          If + Sub+ had+v3+obj+, + Sub + would +v1 +obj (could/might)

          If + Past Simple + Perfect Conditional/Would have + Past Participle

          If + Sub+ v2+obj+, + Sub + would have +v3 +obj (could/might)

 

 

-         Make sentences about:

• An unreal Past condition and its possible Present result.
• An unreal Present condition and its possible result in the Past

 

    If he had carried the city map, he wouldn’t be lost.

    If I had gone to University, I would be a lecturer now.

    If I was a good cook, I would have invited them to launch.

    If he wasn’t afraid of flying plane, she wouldn’t have travelled by train.

 

·        v1/v5 – is/are/am/play/plays/doesn’t +v1/don’t +v1

·        v2- was/were/did/played

-         Unless   - भए  Main part negative

-         I wish+ Sub+would…../could……./ Past tense (Wish)

-         I wish/if only + Sub + would+v1…/could+v1…../ v2….

-         I wish/If only+  Past Participle (Regret)

-         I wish I+had+V³….

 

 

Exercise: 1

1. If you want to pass the exam,………(work well, worked well, not to work well, works well)

2. If you phone me, I…………come to you. (could, will ,would have)

3. If you study hard, you………your goal. (could achieve, achieve, can achieve)

4. If you drop a piece of chalk, it……… (will break breaks ,would break)

5. If you are my real friend, you..…me in need. (help, will help, have helped)

Exercise: 2

1. If she invited, I…………..her wedding. (will attend, will have attend, would attend)    

2. If  I  were a teacher, I………….not punish pupils. (will, would, would have)

3. If I were a bird,  I ……….fly. (will, would ,would have)

4. If I knew him, I………..help him. (will ,can ,would)

5. I………help him if I were rich.(will, can ,would)

Exercise: 3

1. Had he gone there, he………….(would meet, would have met, will meet, will have met)

2. We should have waited you if we…………earlier.(arrived, have arrived , had arrived)

3. If  I had  learnt Spanish, I…………….spoken with Raul Gonzalez in the party last night.(would, will have, would have)

4. Had I been a teacher, I………….well.(would teach, would have taught , will be teaching)

5. She would have come to you if she……….your office.(knows ,knew, had known)

 

Exercise: 4

 1.If he…..…he will get there in time.  (run, runs, ran, had run)

2. If  Mira……..the exam, she will not come to  school. (fail, fails, failed, has failed)

3. If Astha………,she will catch the bus. (runs, ran, had run)

4. If he ………me I will go.(call, calls, called, had called)

5. If they…………me a question, I answer it. (ask ,asked ,had asked)

 

Exercise : 5

1. If I……….a bird, I would fly in the sky.  (were, am, are)

2. If Asmita …….hard., she would pass the entrance. (study, studied, had studied)

3. If it ……., I would not go there.  (rained ,will rain ,had rained)

4. If he ……..hard, he would pass the exam.   (studied ,was studied, had studied)

5. If I……….a bird, I would fly. (am, was, were)

 

If you do not know 

where you are going how do you know that

 you have arrived…….????????

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