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MÔN: NGỮ PHÁP TIẾNG ANH THỰC HÀNH

(PRACTICAL ENGLISH GRAMMAR)

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO UBND THÀNH PHỐ HẢI PHÒNG

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HẢI PHÒNG

KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ

Sinh viên: Đặng Văn Duy Sinh viên: Phạm Thùy Anh
Mã SV: 203114231041 Mã SV: 203114231001
Lớp: SPTA.K21 Lớp: SPTA.K21

Học phần: Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh thực hành

Tên đề tài: CONDITIONALS

HẢI PHÒNG – 2021

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CONDITIONALS

WHAT IS A CONDITIONAL SENTENCE?

Conditional sentences have two parts or clauses that give a condition in the
dependent clause and a result in the independent clause. The condition clause
usually contains an if statement. There are several different forms of
conditional sentences that allow the writer to express various meanings using
different tenses.

• Condition (if) clause + result clause

ZERO CONDITIONAL

The Zero Conditional uses the present tense in both clauses and is used to talk
about something that is always or generally true. The present tense signifies that
these actions are both possible and typical.

Form: If + simple present, simple present.

Example: “If you heat ice, it melts.” Ice always melts if you heat it, so the
condition always has the same result - it’s a fact.

FIRST CONDITIONAL

The First Conditional shows us something which is a real possibility. We speak

about a condition in the present which will have a result on the future- and this
result is a real possibility

Form: If + simple present, will + base verb.

Example 1: You often see Joan. A friend of yours wants to contact her. You
say: “If I see Joan, I will tell her to call you”.
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Example 2: if I am at home and I am running late, there is a real possibility

that I might miss the bus - “If I don’t hurry, I will miss the bus”

We use the present tense to give the condition and the future to show the result.
In some case we can substitute “Will” in the result with “Shall”, “Can” or
“May”, depending on the context of the sentence

Example: a mother tells her child that she will give a reward for good
behaviour - “If you behave, you can go out tonight.”

SECOND CONDITIONAL

The Second Conditional, like the First Conditional, also speaks about the future,
but this time the possibility of the condition happening is an unreal one- almost
like a dream or a wish which is very improbable. The “if- clause” or condition
here uses the past tense, while the result of the condition is formed by
using “Would” together with a “base verb” or “infinitive”

Form: If + simple past, modal + base verb.

Example: “If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world”- winning the
lottery is very improbable so therefore actually using your winnings to travel
around the world is highly improbable.

As in the First Conditional, we can substitute “Would” with “Should”,

“Could” or “Might”- “If I won the lottery, I could go on a long holiday.”

THIRD CONDITIONAL

The Third Conditional uses the past perfect in the if clause and a modal and
present perfect in the result clause. This form is used to talk about a
hypothetical situation in the past that did not happen – typically with an
outcome that did not happen and is perhaps the opposite of what did happen.

Form: If + past perfect, modal + present perfect.

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Example: “If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car.” Here, I
know that I haven’t won the lottery as it is now in the past, so therefore, I can’t
buy a new car.

We can substitute “Would have” with “Should have”, “Could have” or “Might
have”.

Example: “If I had known you were at the party, I might have come”- I didn’t
know you were at the party and so I didn’t go.

MIXED CONDITIONAL

The Mixed Conditionals are the ones that normally people tend to confuse.
There are two types and they talk about two different times in the “if- clause”
and the result, hence the name “mixed”.

Type A shows us a present result of a past condition. We form it by using

the past perfect for the “if-clause” and the present conditional for the result.
Here we talk about an unreal situation in the past and its result on the present.
This result is contrary to reality as the condition is speculation.

Form A: If + past perfect, modal + base.

Example: “If we had planned the party better, we wouldn’t have this problem

now”, which means that we didn’t plan it well and so now things aren’t going
well at the party.

Type B shows us a past result of a present or continuing condition. The past

simple is used to show the condition and the perfect conditional shows the
result. The condition is something which is constant- something permanent-
whereas the result shows us a recent action.

Form B: If + simple past, would/could + present perfect.

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Example: “If I wasn’t so scared of cockroaches, I would have stepped on it”-

my fear is constant in a sense that I was afraid of them and still am, and so I
can’t even bring myself close enough to kill one.

INVERTED CONDITIONAL

Certain condition clauses (if-clauses) can be cast without any conjunction such
as if or unless, instead using subject–auxiliary inversion to indicate their
meaning.

The principal constructions are as follows:

 In the first conditional (where the condition clause expresses a

possible future condition), inversion can be applied to the form of the
condition clause constructed using should:

If you feel hungry, ... (usual condition clause; present tense with future
meaning)
If you should feel hungry, ... (should form of the condition clause)
Should you feel hungry, ... (inverted form)
 In the second conditional (where the condition clause expresses an
unlikely or counterfactual present/future condition; this may also
occur in the mixed conditional), inversion is possible in the case
where the verb is were – the past subjunctive:

If she were here, ... (usual condition clause)

Were she here, ...(inverted form)
 In the third conditional (where the condition clause expresses a
counterfactual past condition; this may also occur in the mixed
conditional), the condition clause formed with the auxiliary had can
be inverted:

If he had written, ... (usual condition clause; past perfect)

Had he written, ... (inverted form)
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NOTES ON CONDITIONALS (CONCLUSION)

• Conditionals can be categorized as real and unreal. You can think of this as
meaning possible or impossible. Zero and first conditionals are possible as they
deal with things that are generally true or that could be true in the future.
Second, third, and mixed conditionals are impossible because they are either
hypothetical or concerned with events in the past that we cannot change.

o Real Conditionals: Zero and First

o Unreal Conditionals: Second, Third, and Mixed

• In the second conditional, the simple past is used in the condition clause. If the
be verb is being used, it is typical to use were in more formal contexts. If you’re
speaking informally though, was is more usual.

o Formal: If I were you, I would drink more water.

o Informal: If I was you, I wouldn’t stay out so late

EXERCISES

EX1: Choose the correct answer

1. If you freeze water, it ….. a solid.

A. Becomes

B. Became

C. Will become

D. Would come

(Zero conditional)

2. The patient will not recover unless he_____________an operation.

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A.had undergone

B. would undergo

C. undergoes

D. was undergoing

(1st conditional)

3. What would you do if he………………………. tomorrow?

A. resigned

B. will resign

C. resigns

D. to resign

(2nd conditional)

4. If you drove more carefully, you ………………….so many accidents.

A. would not have

B. will not have

C. wouldn’t have had

D. has

(2nd conditional)

5. I would tell you more about it if we ……………………………… more time.

A. has

B. will have

C. have

D. had
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(2nd conditional)

6. If I ……………………. so busy yesterday, I would have visited you.

A. were not

B. wasn’t

C. aren’t

D. hadn’t been
(3rd conditional)
7. If you had seen the film, you …………………. it.

A. will enjoy

B. would enjoy

C. would have enjoyed

D. enjoyed

(3rd conditional)

8. If the kids had gone to school last Thursday, they………..to the library now.

A. Would go

B. will go

C. could go

D. A&C

(Mixed conditional 3&2, unreal situation in the past and its result on the
present)

9. If Megan……………….to you, she……………………..in trouble right now.

A. Had listened/would be

B. had listened/would have be

C. had listened/would not be

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D. A & B

(Mixed conditional 3&2, unreal situation in the past and its result on the
present)

10. If you had done all your homework last night, you………games right now.

A. Will play

B. can play

C. plays

D. could play.

(Mixed conditional 3&2, unreal situation in the past and its result on the
present)

Ex2: Give the correct form of the word in brackets.

1. If I had known that you were in hospital, I _____ (visit) you. ( would have

visited: 3rd conditional)

2. If I _____ (know) his telephone number, I’d give it to you. ( knew: 2nd
conditional)

3. If he worked more slowly, he _____ (not make) so many mistakes. (wouldn't

make: 2nd conditional)

4. I (have) ………….. plenty of money now if I (not/spend) ………… so much

yesterday. ( would have/ hadn't spent (Mixed type))

5. If someone (give) …………….you a boat, what you (do) …………… ?

(gives/what will you do: 1st conditional)

6. If you _____ (arrive) ten minutes earlier, you would have got a seat.( had

arrived: 3rd conditional)

7. A lot of people _____ (be) out of work if the factory closed down. (would be:
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2nd conditional))

8. You always had the key with you, didn’t you?

If I (have)………….it, I (not ask)…………..you for it right now. (had had /

wouldn’t ask: Mixed conditional 3&2)

9. Alice and Mathew are happily married. If Alice (not love)…………Mathew,

she

(not marry)………him.( didn’t love / wouldn’t have married : unreal situation

on the present and its resulted in the past , Mixed conditional 2&3)

10. If you (read)……………the map before at home, we (not be)

…………….lost

now. (had read / wouldn’t be: Mixed conditional 3&2)

4. If Mary (not study)………….Chinese, she (not find)…………….the joh she

has

now. (hadn’t studied / couldn’t find: Mixed conditional 3&2)

EX3: Find out the grammatically incorrect underlined part.

1. If Jane didn’t help me survey the market, I won’t plan to share a commission
with her.
A B C (wouldn’t: 2nd conditional) D

2. If Kate don’t like K-pop music, she wouldn’t spend the money to buy tickets
for the

A (didn’t: 2nd conditional) B C D

concert.

3. If he hasn’t many beloved girls, he wouldn’t become so arrogant.

A B (hadn’t: Mixed conditional) C D

 4. If I had eaten dinner with everyone, I would have been feel very hungry now.
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A B C (Wouldn’t Mixed conditional) D

5. If you don’t complain about everything that happened in your life, I would
work in a

A B (didn’t complain: 2nd conditional) C D

team with you.

6. If I have known you were coming I would have baked a cake.

A B C D

(had known: 3rd conditional)

7. Unless he apologizes to me, I wouldn’t be on his team.

A B C (won’t be: 1st conditional) D

8. Without advice from you, I haven’t failed this project.

A B C D

(have failed: without = if not)

9. I were you, I would choose to study abroad to further my career.

A B C D

( Were I you: inverted 2nd conditional)

10. Should she tried to study this problem, she will understand their nature.

A B C D

(try to: : inverted 1st conditional)

EX4: Rewrite the sentences, using the given word(s).

1. Stop talking or you won’t understand the lesson. (If)

→  If you keep talking, you won't understand the lesson. (1st conditional)
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2. Without the air, every creature on earth will be extinct. (If)

→ If there is no air, every creature on earth will be extinct.
(Without = If…not, 1st conditional)

3. Susan felt sick because she ate four cream cakes. (If/wouldn’t have felt)

→ If Susan hadn't eaten four cream cakes, she wouldn't have felt sick.(3 rd
conditional)

4. I don’t know her number, so I don’t ring her up. (If/will ring)

→ If I know her number, I will ring her up.(1st conditional)

5. Unless this treatment, the patient would have died. (If/would have died)

→ If we hadn't had this treatment, the patient would have died.

(Unless= If….not, 3rd conditional)

6. But for your car, I would be late for the meeting. (If it weren’t for)
→ If it weren’t for your car, I would be late for the meeting.
(But for = if it weren’t for, 2nd conditional)
7. Peter is fat because he eats so many chips.(If/ate less)

→ If Peter ate less chips, he wouldn't be fat..(2nd conditional)

8. She is living in China because she got married to a Chinese. (Hadn’t got
married)

→ If She hadn’t got married to a Chinese, She wouldn’t be living in China

(Mixed conditional 3&2)

9. She did the homework last night so she gets a high score today. (Hadn’t
done)

→ If She hadn’t done the homework last night, She wouldn’t get a high score
today.
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(Mixed conditional 3&2)

10. I am tired now because I went home late yesterday. (Hadn’t gone)

→ If I hadn’t gone home late yesterday, I wouldn’t be tired now.

(Mixed conditional 3&2)

References: Wikipidia, English grammar in use second condition(book).