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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CÓRDOBA

FACULTAD DE LENGUAS

GRAMÁTICA INGLESA I

COMISIONES A-B; C-D; E-F-G

UNIT 4

The expression of hypothetical meanings

Integrant es de la Cáted ra

Profesor Titu lar: Prof. Fabi án Negrelli

Profesores Asi stente s: Prof. Candelaria Luque Colomb res

Prof. Vanina Neyra

Prof. Pab lo Carp intero

Profesora Adscripta: Prof. Pau la Ré

CICLO LECTIVO 2021

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The semantics of conditional sentences

Any language can be interpreted as a system of meanings with corresponding grammatical

forms to realize those meanings. A good handling of conditionals involves proper knowledge
of embedding, proficient command of tense forms to mark appropriate potential subsequence
of certain, possible or impossible events and a good grasp of modal auxiliaries´ uses.

Generally, when EFL teachers introduce conditionals, they put too great an emphasis on the
sentence, failing to recognise the verb phrase as the most important feature. Simply and
naturally occurring conditional constructions are ignored at the expense of the forms that are
common in the English language. We must be aware of the fact that many traditional and
oversimplified explanations on conditionals are untrue, as they are based on fundamentally
misguided assumptions, and likely to confuse rather than help.

Thus, in this course, we will make a study, by no means exhaustive, of the semantic
relationships underlying the grammatical realization of conditional constructions in English.

Definition and main features of the conditional construction

Sometimes we want to make a statement which is too complex or detailed to be expressed in a

single clause. Consequently, as a way of combining messages, we make statements of this
kind by putting two or more clauses which express subordinate meanings. It is at this point
when we start talking about subordiante clauses. Then, we must make it clear from the very
beginning that conditionals do not constitute a class apart; conditional clauses are considered
to be one type of adverbial clauses, with all the characteristics inherent in this kind of clauses.
Cowan (2008) claims that conditional sentences are sentences that express a condition and the
result of the condition.

The most common type of conditional sentences has two clauses: the if clause, which
contains a proposition known as the condition, and the result clause, which contains a
proposition stating what happens if the condition is fulfilled. The conditional sentence has the
meaning: If X occurs, then Y occurs.

Examples:

If Charles studies, he will pass the exam.

If Martin misbehaves at school again, he will be punished.
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If Alice´s boyfriend doesn´t tell her the truth, she will not forgive him.
If I had a daughter, I would call her Andrea.
If John had practised parking, he wouldn´t have failed the driving test.

Cowan (2008) states that “in spoken English, there is no preference for the result clause or the
if clause to be placed in initial position. However, in written English there is a slight tendency
for if clauses to occur first” (p. 449).
If you are ill, you must stay in bed.

You must stay in bed if you are ill.

When the if-clause precedes the main clause, we separate the two clauses with a comma.

Provided that he tells her the truth, she will forgive him.

As long as you hurry up, you will catch the train.

Conditional clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions, such as if. Alternative

subordinating conjunctions to if include provided/providing (that), as long as, providing
(that), unless, even if, on condition (that), but for + a noun/nominal.

I wouldn´t go into the water even if I could swim.

Even if we had booked our flight earlier, it wouldn't have been cheaper.
Even if she apologizes, I won´t forgive her.
Even if I tried hard, I wouldn´t get it.
Even if I had tried hard, I would have failed.
Even if I had done what you suggested, I would be in the same position now.
As long as you like classical music, it is worth coming tonight.
I will go on holidays as long as you go with me.
You can stay here as long as you keep quiet.
Provided/ Providing (that) the bills are paid, tenants will not be evicted.
I´ll go back to work tomorrow provided (that) / providing (that) I´m feeling better.
I will let you go out provided / providing (that) you have finished with your homework.
I will let you drive on condition (that) you have a valid licence.
She will go with me on condition (that) I help her later on with her school assignments.
But for the rain, we would have arrived at the airport in time.
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= If it hadn´t been for the rain, we would have arrived at the airport in time.
But for his helping me, I would never have finished in time.
= If he hadn´t helped me, I would never have finished in time.
But for your foolishness, we wouldn´t have got lost.
= If it hadn´t been for your foolishness, we wouldn´t have got lost.

The meaning and use of unless

“Unless” is generally used in the real conditional pattern with the meaning “if not” or “except
on condition that”; in this pattern, the verb after “unless” refers to the future, but is in present
form (Simple Present; Present Progressive; Present Perfect; Present Perfect Progressive).

Examples:

Unless she stops eating like that, she´ll have heart problems.
Unless you help me, I won´t be able to do it.
You will be sick unless you stop eating.
I won´t pay unless you provide the goods immediately.
Unless you study diligently, you´ll never understand trigonometry.
You can´t go on vacation unless you save some money.
We are going to go for a long walk tomorrow unless it´s raining.
Unless she has missed the bus, she will arrive on time.
Unless he has been working late, he´ll get here on time.

Classification of conditionals and the meanings implied

Cowan (2008) points out that conditional sentences refer to present, past or future time. He
states that the contingencies they express divide them into two major categories: real and
unreal conditionals.

Real conditionals

Real conditionals are conditionals in which the condition, and consequently, the result, can be
fulfilled. Thus, we can talk about generic factual conditionals, habitual factual conditionals,
inference conditionals and future conditionals.

Generic factual conditionals

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Generic factual conditionals express a fact that appears to be a scientific truth. The if clause
of generic conditionals specifies general conditions under which the phenomena described in
the result clause will occur or hold. Graver (1986) states that in this case, the conditional
construction refers to statements of universal truth or general validity; that is to say,
relationships that are true and unchanging; he claims that statements in this form commonly
appear in factual discussions or explanatory (particularly scientific and technical) material,
since the sciences are often concerned with absolute relationships. Because of their
unchanging truth value, these conditionals normally take a simple present tense in both
clauses.

If oil is mixed with water, it floats.

If a gas is heated, it expands.

If the temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, water freezes.

Habitual factual conditionals

Habitual factual conditionals express situations or events, in the present or past, as being the
usual but not inevitable result of a conditional being met. According to Celce-Murcia &
Larsen-Freeman (1999), “habitual factual conditionals resemble generic factuals in that they
also express a relationship that is not bounded in time; however, the relationship is based on
habit instead of physical law” (p. 549). This type of conditional construction is frequent in
conversation.

If she is his bridge partner, they usually lose big.

If I make a promise, I keep it.

If I made a promise, I kept it.

If he had business in Baltimore, he stayed at the Hyatt.

Inference conditionals

In inference conditionals, the proposition in the result clause is inferred from the proposition
in the if clause. That is, inference conditionals say “If X, then Y follows”. Inference
conditionals can be about the present or the past and they have more possibilities for modals
and tense-aspect combinations than do generic or habitual conditionals.
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Factual conditionals that express an inference are different from generic or habitual factuals in
that they express inferences about specific time-bound relationships. As such, they make use
of a much wider range of tense and aspect markers, and they also occur with certain modal
auxiliaries.

If smoke can be licked in L.A., it can be licked anywhere.

If he likes Italian food, then he likes Italian wine.
If that call is for me, it must be my wife.
If Ann is wearing a wedding ring, she and Bill must have got married.
If Ann and Bill are buying the wedding rings, they will probably get married soon.
If you will bring some wine, I will bring some beer.
If John is your brother and Bill is his son, then Bill is your nephew.
If Alan has an IQ of 182, then I´m another Einstein!
If anyone has the answer, it should be Rod.
If she attended classes yesterday, she should have known the teacher was not coming today.
If she attended classes yesterday, she must / should know that we are checking the exercises
today.
If he has been working all day, he must be tired.
If he had been working all day, he must have been tired.

Future conditionals
Future conditionals express predicted future results of conditions. Future conditionals
expressing future results may be about plans or other contingencies.

If you don´t leave now, you will miss your plane.

If we get more rain, the river is going to flood.

In the typical future conditional, the if clause expresses an event in the present; thus, the verb
is in the simple present. However, it is possible to talk about a future result that depends upon
something that happened in the past (Cowan, 2008:453). In such cases, the verb in the if
clause could be in the simple past, or in the present perfect.

If you didn´t misbehave at school, you won´t be punished.

If you have done a good job, you will get a rise.
If you have finished doing the homework, your mother will allow you to go out.
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In some future conditionals, an if clause, typically in the simple present and denoting a
possible future event, is followed by an instruction (or request), a question or a suggestion.
If you meet Andrew tomorrow, please tell him I need to talk to him. (request)
If he calls, what do I tell him? (question)
If you still feel that pain in your back after taking this pill, you had better see a doctor.
(suggestion)
Particularly in British English, the modal should (if by any chance…) is sometimes used
in the if clause instead of the simple present.
If you should meet Andrew tomorrow, please tell him to call me.
If she should call you, don´t forget to tell her that I´m travelling next week.

Unreal conditionals
Unreal conditionals are conditionals in which the proposition in the if clause is an imagined
condition and the proposition in the result clause is an imagined outcome. Like real
conditionals, unreal ones can express present, past and future time. There are two types of
unreal conditionals: hypothetical conditionals and counterfactual conditionals.

Hypothetical conditionals

Hypothetical conditionals express speculations about imagined events or states in the present
and/or future.

Each of the following sentences talks about a present state by presenting a condition and
result that evidently do not obtain:

If you found a wallet on the subway, would you return it to the owner?
Providing I got enough money, I would spend a year in Paris and study art.
If I should get enough money, I would buy that house.
If my football team were winning, I would be enjoying the match a lot more.
If the film weren´t so boring, I wouldn´t feel sleepy.
In such cases, the if clause expresses a condition that is presently not real, but, if fulfilled,
could result in the imaginary result of the following clause.

Counterfactual conditionals
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Counterfactual conditionals express impossible states or situations in the present or

speculations about past events that did not happen. In other words, they refer to
impossibilities with reference to the present or the past.

If I were you, I would sell the car.

If my grandmother were alive today, she would experience a very different world.
If Mozart were alive today, he would be writing music for the movies.
If I were younger, I would study architecture.
If I were in your shoes, I would explain everything to her.
If I had seen you, I would have said hello.
If you had locked the front door before we left, the burglars wouldn´t have got in.

The tense sequence in counterfactual conditionals about the past is as follows:

past perfect in the if clause and would + have + past participle in the result clause.

We should point out that other modal verbs such as could and might can also occur in the
result clause, as in:

If you had told me about your problem, I could have helped you.
If you had left the party early, we might never have met.

Counterfactual conditionals can also contain speculations about present states or events that
would or could have resulted if the past events had been different. In conditionals about
impossible present states resulting from the reversal of a past event, the verb in the if clause
has the same verb tense as in counterfactuals about the past – the past perfect. However, the
verb form in the result clause is a modal + verb combination that describes an impossible
outcome in the present.

If you had studied, you wouldn´t have to sit for the make-up test.

If you had passed your driving test, you could drive now.

If John hadn´t been studying all night, he wouldn´t be feeling sleepy now.
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Different possible combinations of meaning, tenses and time reference

Now we are going to study different possible combinations of meaning, tenses and time
reference when using conditionals. T here are a number of possible variations of the
standard conditionals.

Possible combinations 1

A wide variety of patterns occur with real conditonals.

If I feel like some exercise, I take the dog for a walk.

If you are going to buy a house, then you’re going to need a lot of money.

If they think I’m going to retire quickly, then they´re making a big mistake.

They are breaking the law if they give you that information.

If you’re getting headache all the time, then you’re not sitting properly.

If you are suffering from hay-fever, you will have to see a doctor.

If I missed the last train, I just stayed over with friends.

If you gave him all your money, you made / have made a big mistake.

If you knew you had not studied enough, why did you sit for the exam?

If you knew he was not coming, why didn’t you tell me?

If you ate too much over the holidays, then it´s no surprise you´ve put on weight.

If they had missed something out or had got it wrong, she always showed them how to correct it.

They always took the dog with them if they were going anywhere.

Possible combinations 2
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We can use will / would + bare infinitive in both the main clause and the conditional
clause when will and would if they have a meaning of willingness or prediction, or where
it is important to mark politeness.

If you will take a seat, I will try and find the Headmaster.

If you will wait a minute, I willl fetch the porter to help you.

If you will kindly wait a moment, I will ask the secretary.

I’ll take care of the tea and coffee if that will help to get things done more quickly.

If you would let me know, I would be most grateful.

If you would all follow me, I´ll show you to your rooms.

Possible combinations 3

We can use will + bare infinitive in the IF CLAUSE to make emphasis on an obstinate habit
with subsequent consequences or to express refusal.

If you will arrive late, it´s not surprising the teacher gets annoyed.

If you will keep asking stupid questions, you will get stupid answers.

If she won´t listen, she will never learn.

If you will go on smoking, you will have lung problems.

Possible combinations 4

We can use should + bare infinitive in the IF CLAUSE to express a future action that is
rather unlikely to happen. In such cases, the meaning of should is “If by any chance…”

If you should meet Paul, please tell him I need to talk to him.

If you should run into Peter, tell him to call me.

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Possible combinations 5

Instead of will, we can use other modal verbs in the main clause.

If you keep on behaving like that, you may/might have problems at school.

If you finish your work on time, you can / may go home.

If you want to lose weight, you must / should / ought to eat less bread.

If you have toothache as bad as that, you must / should / ought to go to a dentist today.

Possible combinations 6

We can use Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Progressive in the IF CLAUSE and Conditional
in the main clause to talk about the present result of a past condition.

If he had taken care of himself, he wouldn´t be sick now.

= He didn´t take care of himself, so he is sick now.

If I had taken French in high school, I would have more job opportunities.

= I didn’t take French in high school, so I don’t have many job opportunities.

If she had been born in the United States, she wouldn´t need a visa now to work here.

= She wasn’t born in the UInited States, so she needs a visa now to work here.

If I had got the job, I would be living in New York City now.

= He didn´t get the job, so he isn´t living in New York City now.

If you hadn´t been talking all the class, you would know how to do the exercises now.

= Sarah was talking all the class, so she doesn´t know how to do the exercises now.

Possible combinations 7
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We can use Past Perfect in the IF CLAUSE and conditional in the main clause to talk about
the future result of a past condition.

If I had got the job, I would be moving to New York next week.

= I didn´t get the job, so Iwill not be moving to New York next week.

If Paul hadn’t wasted all his money, he would travel to Brazil for his birthday.

Paul lost all his money, so he will not travel to Brazil for his birthday.

If she had signed up for the ski trip last week, she would be joining us tomorrow.

= She didn´t sign up for the ski trip last week, so she will not be joining us tomorrow.

If mark had got the job instead of Joe, he would be moving to Shangai next week.

= Mark didn’t get the job instead of Joe, so he will not be moving to Shangai next week.

Possible combinations 8

We can use Simple Past tense to talk about the past result of a present condition.

If I didn´t have a bike, I would have taken the bus.

= I have a bike, so I didn´t take the bus.

If she didn´t have to work, she would have given us a ride.

= She has to work, so she didn´t give us a ride.

If you paid more attention, you wouldn´t have made so many mistakes.

= She doesn’t pay attention, so she made many mistakes.

If Sam spoke Russian, he could have translated the mail for you.

= Sam doesn’t speak Russian, so he couldn’t translate the mail for you.

If I didn’t have to work so hard, I would have gone to the party last Saturday.

= I have to work a lot, so I didn’t go to the party last Saturday.

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Possible combinations 9

We can combine a present unreal, counterfactual conditional clause (expressed in the

Simple Past) with a past result in the main clause (expressed by means of the
Conditional Perfect).

If I were rich, I could have bought that Ferrari we saw yesterday.

= I am not rich, so I couldn’t buy that Ferari we saw yesterday.

If she were as clever as you say (she is), she wouldn´t have reacted like that.

She is not clever, so she reacted like that.

If Mozart were alive today, he would be writing music for the movies.

= Mozart is not alive, so he isn´t writing music for the movies.

Possible combinations 10

We can use different combinations of tenses or verb forms to express inferences or

deductions.

If she was sleeping all day, she will feel better now.

If Sandra left an hour ago, she must/should be at home now.

If she left at 10 o´clock, she must/will/ should be landing any moment now.

OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING HYPOTHETICAL MEANINGS

Form Use Example

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I wish / If only + past tense wish/regret about a I wish you worked more
present situation we efficiently.
want to be different.
I wish you didn´t have to
leave so soon.

If only I had lots of money.

If only I was/were taller.

I wish / If only + could + bare To express a wish/regret I wish I could go to the party,
infinitive in the present but I have an exam tomorrow.
concerning lack of
I wish I could swim, but I´m
ability or to describe a
terrified of water.
desire we know is
impossible to achieve, If only we could see the
often about ourselves. situation through his eyes.
+ could + have +
For a regret about the I wish your father could have
past participle
past. been there.

If only I could have told her

the truth!

I wish / If only + Past Perfect To express a regret that I wish I hadn´t missed the
something happened or class.
didn´t happen in the
If only I had listened to my
past.
father´s advice at that
moment.

I wish / If only + subject + would To express a wish for a I wish he would drive more
+ bare infinitive future change unlikely carefully.
to happen or wish to
I wish it would stop raining.
express dissatisfaction;
polite request implying Notice that “wish” and
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dissatisfaction or lack of “would” should have different

hope; criticism. subjects.

The uses of would rather and would sooner to describe preferences

 When the subject of “would rather/would sooner” is also the subject of the following verb:

Present/future time reference: I’d rather + present bare infinitive

I’d rather stay at home.

I’d rather watch TV.

I’d sooner take the later flight.

I´d rather not get up early tomorrow. I’m a bit tired.

Past time reference: I’d rather /I’d sooner + perfect bare infinitive (The subject of the
finite and non-finite verb is the same)

I’d rather have stayed at home last night.

I’d rather not have gone to the cinema yesterday.

 When the subject of the finite verb is different from the subject of the non-finite verb:

Present/future time reference: I’d rather + somebody + Simple Past

I’d rather you studied harder.

I’d rather they didn’t make so much noise.

I’d sooner you gave me a cash refund. A credit note is no use to me.
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Would you rather I wasn’t honest with you?

Past time reference: I´d rather + somebody + Past Perfect

I´d rather you had told me the truth.

I´d rather they hadn´t made so much noise last night.

 would rather + bare infinitive + than + bare infinitive

I’d rather stay at home than go out.

I’d rather be punished than hide the truth.

It’s (high / about) time + Simple Past / Past Progressive / Past Subjunctive

We use this construction to say that something should be happening and isn’t.

It´s about time you stopped moping about the house and got a job.

It´s time I was leaving / I left.

It´s high time you were more responsible at work.