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CONDITIONAL SENTENCES.

Conditional sentences have two parts: the IF-clause and the main clause. There are
three kinds of conditional sentences. Each of these kinds contains a different pair of
tenses.

A) TYPE 1. PROBABLE CONDITION.

The verb in the if-clause is in the SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE, the verb in the main
clause is in the FUTURE TENSE.
This type of sentence implies that it is likely or probable that the condition will be
fulfilled.
- If he goes to London he will meet his sister.
- If you come into my garden my dog will bite you.

Special use of WILL / WOULD and SHOULD in IF-CLAUSES.

Normally future and conditional forms are not possible in an IF-CLAUSE, but there are
certain exceptions.

A) WILL / WOULD may be used to express a polite request in types 1 and 2. Both can
be used in type 1.
E.g. If you WILL / WOULD kindly wait a moment, I’ll call Mr. Pitt.
If you wouldn’t mind waiting a moment, I’ll go and get a taxi.

WOULD but not WILL for TYPE 2.

E.g. If you would let me have an answer by return, l should be very grateful
(very common in business letters)

Note that the above IF-clauses could be replaced by:

- Please wait a moment and I’ll call Mr. Pitt.
- Please let me have an answer by return and l shall be grateful.

B) WOULD LIKE and WOULD CARE which are equivalents of WISH and WANT can
be used in Type 1 only.
E.g. If you WOULD LIKE TO COME, l’LL GET A TICKET FOR YOU.
If he WOULD CARE to see some of our designs, I’ll show them to him on
Monday.

C) SHOULD + INFINITIVE can be used in Type 1 to replace the simple present

when we wish to imply that the supposition is very unlikely.
I.e we can say: If the house GOES on fire l SHALL CALL the Fire Brigade.
Or: If the house SHOULD GO on fire l SHALL CALL the Fire Brigade.

Both mean the same, but the second implies that the speaker thinks it very unlikely that
the house will go on fire.
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C) PRESENT TENSE WITH IMPERATIVE.

In the first type of conditional sentence the main clause may contain an imperative
instead of a future tense.
E.g. If you SEE him, TELL him to write to me.
DON’T GO outside the harbour if the wind is very strong.

D) PRESENT TENSE WITH MAY or CAN.

The future tense SHALL / WILL when used in conditional sentences expresses a
certain result. If instead of certainty we wish to express possibility we must use MAY
instead of SALL / WILL:
e.g. If he starts now he will be in time. (Certain result)
If he starts now he may be in time. (Possible result)

MAY or CAN can also express permission (CAN is the more usual)
e.g. If you are in a hurry you can take my car. (Permission)

TYPE 2. IMPROBABLE CONDITION.

The verb in the IF-clause is in the SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The verb in the MAIN CLAUSE IS IN THE PRESENT CONDITIONAL

TENSE.

The past tense here is really a subjunctive, which is used to indicate that the
supposition is imaginary. The meaning remains present or future.
This type of sentence is used when the fulfilment of the condition is less likely than in
TYPE 1, and can be used also for imaginary suppositions:
e.g. If l WERE you l’d cut down all those trees.

2. WERE + INFINITIVE can be used instead of the past tense in TYPE 2 to

emphasize that the supposition is very unlikely:
i.e we can say: “If l passed the exam he would be astonished”,
or: “lf l were to pass the exam he would be astonished.”

Both mean the same, but the second implies that the speaker does not expect to
pass.

3. POSSIBLE VARIATIONS OF THE TENSE RULES.

4 Two present tenses instead of a present and a future.
Two present tenses are used to express NATURAL LAWS and AUTOMATIC
RESULTS.
E.g. If you heat ice it turns to water. If we are cold we shiver.
4. PAST TENSE WITH MIGHT or COULD.
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Similarly in the Second TYPE of conditional sentence, the conditional tense

(SHOULD / WOULD) expresses a certain result. If, instead of certainty we wish to
express possibility we can use MIGHT instead of SHOULD / WOULD, and if we wish to
express permission or ability we use COULD:
e.g. If he came l should see him (certain result)
If he came l might see him (possible result)
lf it stopped snowing he would go out (certain result)
lf it stopped snowing you could go out (ability or permission)

PAST PERFECT TENSE WITH MIGHT or COULD AND THE PERFECT INFINITIVE.
SIMILARLY WITH THE THIRD TYPE OF CONDITIONAL SENTENCE:
lf l HAD SEEN him l SHOULD HAVE HELPED him (certain result)
lf l HAD SEEN him l MIGHT HAVE HELPED him (possible result)
lf l HAD SEEN him l COULD HAVE HELPED him (ability).

TYPE 3. IMPOSSIBLE CONDITION.

The verb in the lf - clause is in the past perfect
The verb in the MAIN CLAUSE is in the perfect conditional:
e.g. lf l had known of your arrival l should have met you.
(but l didn’t know so l didn’t meet you)
lf he had fallen into the river he would have drowned.
(But he didn’t fall into the river so he didn’t drown).

THE SUBJUNTIVE WERE

In the improbable type of conditional sentence it is possible to use WERE instead of
WAS.
I.e. We can say: “IF l WERE” instead of “If l was”
and: “IF HE WERE” instead of “If he was”.

WERE here is the subjunctive. There is practically no difference between “If l was” and
“lf l were” , but the latter is preferred in imaginary suppositions.
E.g. “If l were you, l would paint the hall door red.”
“ If Tom were there he would help her”. (By using WERE instead of WAS the
speaker implies that Tom isn’t there; while “If Tom was at the party” implies that it is
quite possible that he may have been there).

INVERSION OF SUBJECT AND AUXILIARY, WITH “IF” OMITTED.

Where IF is followed by an auxiliary verb, e.g. by WERE, HAD or SHOULD, it is
possible to invert auxiliary and subject and omit the IF:
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e.g. If l were rich= Were l rich ( WERE must be used with this construction,
never WAS)
If he had known= Had he known
If the horse should run away= Should the horse run away
THIS CONSTRUCTION IS MORE USED IN WRITING THAN IN CONVERSATION

ã UNLESS, BUT, PROVIDED THAT, SUPPOSING

UNLESS + an affirmative verb= IF + A NEGATIVE VERB.

I.e UNLES you go= IF you DO NOT GO

Unless you go now you will be late.

The UNLESS construction is neater and more usual than IF + A NEGATIVE

BUT FOR can replace “IF IT WAS NOT FOR / “IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR”
i.e. BUT FOR the storm we should have arrived much earlier. = IF IT HAD NOT
BEEN FOR the storm we should have arrived earlier.

PROVIDED THAT and SUPPOSING can be used to replace IF:

e.g. You can go out provided that you promise to come back at six.
What would happen supposing the worldstopped spinning?.

â IF ONLY
ONLY can be placed after IF to express a wish or hope
i.e. IF ONLY he comes = l hope he comes

The clause can stand alone or be part of a conditional sentence

e.g. IF ONLY he comes!.
IF ONLY he comes early, we’ll be able to warm him.

Tenses after IF ONLY folow the ordinary rules for tenses in IF-CLAUSES with the
following addition. A hopeless wish is expressed by WOULD + INFINITIVE:
e.g. IF ONLY it stops raining (we hope that it will stop)
IF ONLY it WOULD STOP raining (we don’t really expect it to stop)
Similarly: IF ONLY wars COULD CEASE (we don’t really expect them to cease)