CHUYÊN ĐỀ: CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

A. BASIC FORM
Type 1: possibilities in the present or in the future
If + S + V1 / V s(es) S + will / can/ may + V
e.g.: If I have enough time, I will watch TV later on tonight.

Type 2: unreal situations in the present or in the future

If + S + V-ed / V2 S + would / could / might + V
(didn’t + V) (wouldn’t / couldn’t + V)
To be: were / was
e.g.: If I had enough time, I would watch TV now and later on.

Type 3: unreal situations in the past

If + S + had + P.P S + would / could / might + have + P.P
e.g.: If I had had enough time, I would have watched TV yesterday.
B. POSSIBLE VARIATIONS
* Type 1:
 In the main clause we can use:
- may / might + inf.  possibility
If the fog gets thicker, the plane may / might be diverted.
- may / can + inf.  permission / possibility
If your documents are in order, you may / can leave at once.
- must, should or any expression of command, request or advice
If you want to lose weight, you must / should / had better eat less bread.
If you want to lose weight, eat less bread.
- Present tense  habitual activity / situation, predictable fact or general truth
If I don’t eat breakfast, I always get hungry during class. (habitual situation)
If you heat ice, it turns to water. (will turn is also possible.) (general truth)
 In the if-clause we can use:
- Present Progressive  a present action / future arrangement
If you are looking for Peter, you will find him upstairs. (present action)
If you are staying for another night, I’ll ask the manager to give you a better room.
(future arrangement)
- Present Perfect
If you have finished dinner, I’ll ask the waiter for the bill.
* Type 2 & 3: in the main clause we can use might or could instead of would.
If you tried again, you would succeed. (certain result)
If you tried again, you might succeed. (possible result)
If I knew her number, I could ring her up. (ability)
If he had a permit, he could get a job. (ability or permission)
If we had found him earlier, we could have saved his life. (ability)
If we had found him earlier, we might have saved his life. (possibility)
If your documents had been in order, you could have left at once. (ability or permission)
* Using progressive verb forms
TRUE: It is raining right now, so I will not go for a walk.
CONDITIONAL: If it were not raining right now, I would go for a walk.
TRUE: I was not living in Chile. I was not working at a bank.
CONDITIONAL: If I had been living in Chile, I would have been working at a bank.
Mixed conditional sentences

If + S + had + P.P S + would / could / should + Vbare-infinitive

E.g.: You stayed up too late last night, so you feel tired now.
 If you hadn’t stayed up too late last night, you wouldn’t feel tired now.

If + S + V-ed / V2 S + would / could / should + have + P.P

E.g.: I am not you, so I did not tell him the truth.
 If I were you, I would have told him the truth.

C. INVERSION
a. First Conditional sentence
Should + S + Vbare-infinitive S + will / can/ may + V
E.g.: If I study hard, I will pass the exam.
Should I study hard, I will pass the exam.

b. Second Conditional sentence

o WERE + S + … S + would / could / should + V
o WERE + S + to + Vbare-infinitive (wouldn’t / couldn’t + V)
E.g: If I were you, I would love him.
Were I you, I would love him.
If I learnt Russian, I would read a Russian book.
 Were I to learn Russian, I would read a Russian book.

c. Third Conditional sentence

Had+ S + (not) + P.P S + would / could / should + have + P.P
         E.g: If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car.
       Had I won the lottery, I would have bought a car.
* “not” is put after the subject in the negative form.
E.g: Had I not won the lottery, I would have bought a car.

E. OTHER USES OF “IF” AND SIMILAR CONJUNCTIONS

1. even if = even though: dùng với nghĩa dù sự kiê ̣n / hành đô ̣ng có xảy ra hay không thì hành đô ̣ng kia vẫn xảy ra.
You must go tomorrow even if you are not ready.
2. whether … or = if … or
You must go tomorrow whether you are ready or not.
3. unless = if … not
If we had more rain, our crops would grow faster.
Unless we had more rain, our crops wouldn’t grow faster.
If she doesn’t work harder, she will fail the exam.
Unless she works harder, she will fail the exam.
4. but for = “if it were not for / if it hadn’t been for”
But for + NP, Clause (in types 2 and 3)

If it weren’t for + NP, Clause (in type 2)

If it hadn’t been for + NP, Clause (in type 3)

E.g: But for your help, I would die.

If it weren’t for your help, I would die.

The car broke down. But for that we would have been in time.
 If the car hadn't broken down, we would have been in time.
5. otherwise = “if this doesn’t happen / didn’t happen / hadn't happened”: nếu không thì
Her father pays her fees; otherwise she wouldn’t be here.
 If her father didn’t pay her fees, she wouldn’t be here.
You must read the instructions; otherwise, you won’t know how to use it.
 If you don’t read the instructions, you won’t know how to use it.
6. provided / providing (that), as/so long as: miễn là, dùng để nhấn mạnh 1 hành đô ̣ng, sự viê ̣c chỉ xảy ra khi có mô ̣t
hành đô ̣ng, sự viê ̣c khác xảy ra.
Provided / Providing (that) you clear your desk by this evening, you can have tomorrow off.
So / As long as you clear your desk by this evening, you can have tomorrow off.
7. suppose / supposing (that): giả sử
Suppose / Supposing (that) we miss the train, what will you do?
8. on (the) condition (that)
They will lend us their flat on (the) condition (that) we look after it.
9. Imagine/ Assuming …
Imagine you won the lottery, what would you do?
Assuming you were the only one who saw a shop lifter, would you call the police?

10. If s.o were to do s.t: dùng trong câu điều kiê ̣n loại 2, với ý nghĩa nhấn mạnh tình huống không thể xảy ra.
E.g: If the boss were to know about it, we would be in real trouble.
= If the boss knew about it, we would be in real trouble.
11. If so/ If not: Thường được dùng sau dấu chấm và thay thế cho môt ý tưởng đã nói đến trong câu đi trước, với ý nghĩa
“Nếu thế/ Nếu không như thế”.
E.g: Perhaps Tom won’t come. If not, I’ll take his place.
If Tom doesn’t come, I’ll take his place.
- Mă ̣c dù “will” không được sử dụng trong mê ̣nh đề “if” ở câu điều kiê ̣n, nhưng có 1 trường hợp ta được dùng, đó là khi ta
muốn thể hiê ̣n sự tự nguyê ̣n, mô ̣t thiê ̣n ý hoă ̣c ý muốn (express willingness or volition).

F. WISHES
1. to express dissatisfaction with the present and a wish for change in the future

S1 + wish(es) + (that) + S2 + would + inf. (S1 ≠ S2)

I wish he would answer my letter.

2. to express regret about a present situation

wish + (that) + S + a past tense (subjunctive)

I wish I were rich. (I am not rich.)

I wish I knew his address. (I don’t know his address.)
I wish you could drive a car. (You can't drive a car.)
3. to express regret about a past situation

wish + (that) + S + past perfect (subjunctive)

I wish I hadn't spent so much money. (I spent so much money.)

I wish you had written to him. (You didn’t write to him.)
* wish can be put in the past without changing the subjunctive: I wished I knew his address.
I wished you had written to him.
4. if only can be used in exactly the same way. It has the same meaning as wish but is more dramatic.
If only we knew where to look for him!
If only she had asked someone’s advice!