SFL/METU
Dept. of B.E.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
If-Clause (condition)
April 2017
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE GROUP
Student’s Copy
, Main Clause (result)
If the professor has any free time today
, he will go for a walk around the campus.
Main Clause (result)
If-Clause (condition)
The professor will go for a walk around the
campus today
if he has any free time.
TYPES OF CONDITIONALS
Zero Conditional
(also known as the
general conditional)
First Conditional
(also known as the likely
or possible conditional)
If the professor has any free time, he goes for a walk around the campus.
Meaning:
Here “if” is similar to “when(ever)” / “every time” / “any time ”
When
Whenever the professor has any free time, he goes for a walk.
Every time
Any time
If the professor has any free time today, he will go for a walk around the
campus.
Meaning:
Will / Does the professor have any free time today?
We do not know this. If he does, he will go for a walk around the campus.
If he does not, he will not go for a walk around the campus. (There are
two possibilities.)
Second Conditional
(also known as the
unlikely or improbable
conditional)
If the professor had any free time today, he would go for a walk around
the campus.
We know that the professor does not / will not have any free time today,
so he will not go for a walk around the campus
Third Conditional
(also known as the past or
impossible conditional)
If the professor had had any free time yesterday, he would have gone
for a walk around the campus.
Meaning:
We know that the professor did not have any free time yesterday, so he
did not go for a walk around the campus.
Mixed Conditional
unreal past + unreal
present/future
a) If the professor had gone out for a walk this morning, he would feel /
would be feeling much better now.
Meaning:
He did not go out for a walk this morning, so he does not feel/ is not feeling
very good now.
OR
unreal present/future +
unreal past
b) If the island was / were still a tourist attraction, last week’s earthquake
would have caused far more deaths.
Meaning:
The island is no longer a tourist attraction, so the earthquake did not cause
a huge number of deaths.
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SUMMARY
S present tense ,
Zero
Conditional
real present/past
(always true)
If
First
Conditional
real present/future
(likely/possible)
If
Second
Conditional
unreal present/future
If
S past tense ,
S
would
could + V1
might
If
S
past perfect ,
S
would
could + have V3
might
S, present tense ,
S
present tense.
S
will
may + V1
can
(unlikely/improbable/imaginar
y)
Third
Conditional
Mixed
Conditional
unreal past
unreal past + unreal
present/future
If
OR
unreal present/future +
unreal past
OR
If
S
S
S
past perfect ,
past tense ,
S
would
could
might
+ V1
would
could + have V3
might
IMPLIED CONDITIONALS
(1) We would go skiing this weekend, but there’s no snow.
Oh well! We will just have to find something else to do instead.
(i.e., If there were some snow, we would go skiing.)
(2) Without your help, I could not have completed my book.
(i.e., If you hadn’t helped me, I could not have completed my book.)
(3) A country that stopped working would quickly be bankrupt.
(i.e., If a country stopped working, it would quickly be bankrupt.)
(4) Why didn’t you ask me? I would have helped you.
(i.e., If you had asked me, I would have helped you.)
(5) I’m sure that you could have passed the test.
(i.e., I’m sure that you could have passed the test if you had taken it.)
(6) Why don't you hire a car? Then you'll be able to visit more of the area.
(i.e., If you hire a car, you’ll be able to visit more of the area.)
(7) I couldn’t love that little boy more.
(i.e., I couldn’t love that little boy more even if he were my own son.)
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TASK 1.
Rewrite the following using if.
1. The ozone layer may peel a little more. In that case, we will run a much higher risk of
developing skin cancer.
______________________________________________________________________.
2. My father’s car was stolen because he had not locked it properly.
______________________________________________________________________.
3. We can’t go sunbathing because the sun isn’t shining.
______________________________________________________________________.
4. Jim’s leg is broken, so he isn’t rafting down the Colorado River right now.
______________________________________________________________________.
5. Jerry won’t be able to help me with my homework tomorrow because he has to work.
______________________________________________________________________.
6. We have to work very hard, so we can’t spend much time together.
______________________________________________________________________.
7. You couldn’t stop in time because you were not driving slowly.
______________________________________________________________________.
8. Marie is unhappy because she gave up her career when she got married.
______________________________________________________________________.
9.
Does the museum charge for entry? If so, a lot of people won’t be able to visit it.
______________________________________________________________________.
10. I am unemployed because I had a disagreement with my boss and I was fired.
______________________________________________________________________.
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ASK 2. What would you say in the following situations using a conditional sentence?
1. Jackie is not worried about the conference tomorrow because she is not giving a speech.
If _____________________________________________________________________.
2. The weather may be nice tomorrow. If it is, I will walk along the river to school.
___________________________________if___________________________________.
3. I decided to go to the train station early, so she hadn’t been waiting there for more than twenty
minutes before I arrived.
If ______________________________________________________________________.
4. Alan can’t play tennis because he has broken his arm.
___________________________________if___________________________________.
5. I’m not rich, so I didn’t buy that new Mercedes we saw yesterday.
___________________________________if___________________________________.
6. We were planning to go skiing this weekend, but there’s no snow.
___________________________________if___________________________________.
7. Without your help, I could not have completed my book.
If _____________________________________________________________________.
8. Your friend is getting low grades. You would like to give advice and tell him that he should
study.
If _____________________________________________________________________.
9. Your friend is sleepy because he went to bed late last night.
___________________________________if___________________________________.
10. George is not clever enough so he spent so much money on a pair of shoes.
If _____________________________________________________________________.
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