iN fe) 0]a 3 162 Conditionals, subjunctives and the ‘unreal’ past Before you start Review thes ‘termediate grammar points and check you know them. Conditionals 1 Conditional sentences usually consist of two clauses: a conditional clause (or if clause) and a main clause (or result clause) which is dependent on the conditional. 2 We usually form conditional sentences in one of two ways: suse | ae iim i t i i If Thad a car, Iwould take you. would take you if Thad a car. If we put the if clause first, we usually separate the clauses with a comma. 3 There are four basic conditional sentence patterns where our choice of tense depends on « the time of the condition (past, present or future) + how possible or impossible we think the event is. possible at any time, "if your car is old it probably needs a road test. zero a i but most commonly ff she made a new dish, she tried it out on friends Conditional in the present straight away, first sonal possible in the future If we don’t water those plants, they'I ce impossible in the if my eyesight was perfect, I wouldn't need to wear eed present these glasses. conditional possible (b possible (but unlikely) 5 ; peealelout If we were rich, we'd buy a house in the Caribbean. third If you had answered the door she wouldh’t have conditional ™POssible in the P2St cone away again. 4 We can make questions: Ifyou lost your passport, what would you do? 5 In conversation we often use only the main clause; the if clause is implied: Actually, it would be pretty difficult. (if we did as you asked) wish|if only 4 We use wish/if only + past simple to express a desire for something to be different in the present. The desire can be for something which is actually impossible: I wish I knew more about art. (= | don’t know much about it, but I would like to.) If only we were young again. (= We want to be young, but we know this is impossible.) 2 We use wish/if only + past perfect to express a regret about the past: If only I hade't left the car unlocked. The ‘unreal’ past ‘The ‘unreal’ past describes the use of past tenses after certain expressions, e.g. if only, its time, to describe things in the present, past or future which are imagined or unreal: If only Twas thin. (= 1am not thin but I would like to be thin.) It’ time you went to the doctor about that cough.MANY PEOPLE believe that the world’ climate has started changing due to the increased carbon in the “imosphere, Some scientists estimate that levels of Unit 37.1 2 Ifyou pay for a full year’s membership in advance, then / that you are > Unit 37.1 entitled to a twenty percent discount on spa treatments, 3. The show's next week. What are we going to do urtless the tickets turn up | > Unit 37.2 if the tickets don’t turn up in time? 4. If/ When you press the ‘record’ button, the green light comes on. > Unit 37.3 5 If the museum will charge / charges for entry, a lot of people won't be > Unit 37.4 able to use it 6 There will be / is a riot if the police don’t establish control over the crowd. > Unit 37.4 7 If you were / Were you to listen more carefully, you might understand a. > Unit 38.1 little more. 8 If] were you, I'd ask / I asked for a full refund, > Unit 38.2 9 Had we known about the state of the hotel, we would never book / > Unit 38.3 have booked it. 10 ‘The King of Belgium didn’t attend the royal wedding. If he had / hadn't > Unit 38.4 been there, he would have witnessed a marvellous spectacle. 11 If Janice had married Nils last year, she'd be living / have lived in > Unit 38.5 Gothenburg now. 12 If flights to Cyprus weren't / aren’t so expensive these days, they r have gone there for their honeymoon last spring. 13. Iwas born in 1985, but I wish I was / had been alive in the 1960s, [love > Unit 39.2 the music and fashion from that period. ight > Unit 38.5 14 Iwish you stop / you'd stop shouting. I'm not deaf, you know. > Unit 39.2 15 Ifonly / I wish that I had known she was vegetarian before cooking > Unit 39.3 that meal! 16 The regulations require that each defendant in turn submit / to submit a > Unit 40.1 sworn statement to the court. 17 Thad to start work as soon as I left school. But I wish I went / had been to. > Unit 40.2 university instead 18 Itis high time / time for the country were told of the Prime Minister's, > Unit 40.3 intentions, 19 I don't like artificial fabrics. I'd rather wear / wore natural materials. > unit 40.4 20 Are you tired? You look as though you didn’t sleep / haven't slept for days! > Unit 40.5 4 Check your answers on page 384. Then go to the unit for more information and practice.37 1 If and alternatives; if and alternatives to if There are several conjunctions we can use instead of i rovided/providing (that) to emphasise that the sofas long as only if condition is necessary to ‘on (the) condition (that) the result.’ {fo express a condition even if that is unexpected in the circumstances to express alternative present and future conditions Hglobal warming continues, there could be an increase in extreme weather conditions, ranging from torrential rain to severe droughts. Expenses will be reimbursed on the condition that receipts are supplied. Provided you pay the extra fee, we guarantee 2 sea-view room. Even if they do go down with flu after they've had the vaccination, it’s likely t0 be less serious. They'll deliver the furniture whether there's oleae conditions to describe what you should do in a particular situation (usually formal, 4g, written notices) someone to receive it or not? In case of (an) emergency, pull the cord above the bath. In case of fire, do not use the elevator. In case of (+ noun) These conjunctions only refer to present or future conditions; we do nat use them with the third conditional: We é iy there-so-fonges-they'd arranged the-catering- 2 We can also say: They’ deliver the furniture whether or not there's someone to recewe it ‘We use in case to imagine a precaution necessary for a possible future situation. It is not the same as if, Compare: T'll pop round later in case you're there. (1 don’t know if you'll be there, but T'll come anyway.) I'll pop round later if you're there. (1'11 only come if you're there.) In conditional sentences that start with the if clause we can use then in the main clause to emphasise that the result depends on the condition being fulfilled If the bill is passed by both parliamentary houses, then it becomes law. What if, suppose/supposing (that), imagine, say..., etc. > Unit 82.1 but for... > Unit 38.3 2. unless and negative conditions We often use unless to express a ne if... not or only if. Unless you've got a doctor's note to say you've passed the medical, they won't allow you to go on the activity holiday. (= If you don't have a doctor’s note, they won't allow you to go.) I wouldn't go there unless I had to. (= | would go there only if I had to.) Unless is not always an alternative to if not, especially when the negative condition after if is contrary to known facts, and in most questions: X You'd be happier usless-yout had such-high expectations. (an unreal situation) ¥ You'd be happier if you didn’t have such high expectations. X What time-shall-we-leave for the-theatre-unless-he-turis-up2 (a question) ¢ condition. It means ‘except if’ and it is similar to 164‘We can use unless with not: The college will offer you a place, unless your school-leaving grade is not as predicted. They'll offer you a place if your grade is as predicted.) ‘Are they going to sell?’ ‘Not uniless they receive $1 million.” (© They won't sell if they don’t receive $1 million.) Zero conditional We use the zero conditional to talk about events or situations that can occur at any time (often regularly), and their results. We often use it for actions that always have the same result, and we can replace if with when if we are referring to a regular activity: If you use a hot iron on nylon, it melts. When I eat dairy products, I get red spots on my skin. 1f/When you press this key, the game starts, and when you click here, it stops. ‘We can tse modal verbs (especially can and may), the present simple, present perfect or present continuous in both clauses: If you can read this, you're driving too clase to me! Prawns can be risky to eat if they haven't been kept at the right temperature. If When she’s travelling abroad on business, she always phones me every evening. We can use a similar pattern to refer to the past. We use the past simple or continuous in the if clause and the past simple in the result clause: When they went to the movies, they always sat at the back. (when for regular activity) Karen got « lot more done if]when she was working fram home. ‘When we give a general instruction, we use an imperative in the result clause: If a chip pan is on fire, throw a fire blanket on it First conditional We use the first conditional to describe possible future events or situations and their results: If the result of the test is negative, you'll receive notification through the post. We often use it for offers, suggestions and warnings: Tl call the hotel if you don’t have time. Shall we go out toraorrow if the weather's good? M1 call the police if you don’t leave right now! We can also use it for commands, but note that we use an imperative in the main clause: If you get home late, be quiet! Don't forget to lock the doors if you go out. We can use the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in the if clause, and will/shall or be going to in the main clause: If you've decided to come on the motorway, you're going to need change for the tolis. If they’re leaving early, we'll go home with Jake. ‘We can use modal verbs in either clause, especially car, could and may: If the regime can Keep the loyalty of the army, they may retain power. If global warming continues, there could be an increase in extreme weather conditions. It is usually incorrect to use a future form in the if clause: Aten Hc tll De ol pete ttt oti ¥ If the weather is good tomorrow, we'll have a picnic. However, it is appropriate if will/won't refers to willingness or refusal (> Unit 35.5): The company will impose sanctions if the workers won't abandon the strike. ‘To make the first conditional more formal and the condition a little less likely, we can use happen fo, ot we can omit if and use sould before the subject: If/Should you happen to be in the neighbourhood, feel free to visit our showroom. Should you be less than delighted with our product, we will refund your money immediately. 16537 iano acreananves; rResent 1 166 AND FUTURE CONDITIONS Practice Tick (V) the possible cond as well as the grammar. ns and cross (x) the incorrect ones. Think about the meaning 1 We'll be able to go out tomorrow evening ... A if the babysitter will be available. B so long as the babysitter can come. C provided the babysitter hasn’t got any other plans, 2. Before we leave, we'd better turn on the automatic watering system ... ‘A in case it doesn’t rain while we're away. B if it doesn’t rain while we're away. C provided it doesn’t rain while we're away. 3. When the weather's really hot A I get a lot of headaches. B I would get a lot of headaches. C I sometimes get a headache. 4 I'm sure you'd get a lot more business ... ‘A unless you charged so much. B if you © unless you didn’t charge so much. 5. Frozen chicken isn’t safe to eat ... A if it hasn't been thoroughly defrosted. B if it isn’t thoroughly cooked. C unless it has been defrosted and cooked correctly. 6 We used to walk to school ... é ‘A when the weather was good. B whether it was hot or cold. C even if it was raining. In't charge so much. Choose the correct words in italic in italics. if both options are correct, cho both. Listen and check. ye INVASION OF GIANT GRASS ‘There’ little doubt that (1) provided / if we want to combat global warming and the effects of climate change, we (2) have / would have to find more Sustainable sources of energy. Oil and gas produce harmful greenhouse {gases and, of course, there is only a limited supply available. So, {@)in case / unless we act soon, we (4) run out / will run out of eneray supplies. Recently, scientists have been looking at the use of fast-growing ‘grasses as an alternative to traditional fossi fuels. These grasses can be burnt in power stations to provide a renewable source of energy. (5) So fonaas [fits grown propery, grass (6) wil be / is carbon neutral = that i, it does not give off more carbon than it absorbs. The idea is that fatmers will grow crops for eneray rather than for food. Scientists believe that if we (7) provide / provided sufficient subsidies, farmers will be happy tosstart growing these new crops. % ‘There are several trial schemes under way at present, including two in the north of England, Local farmers are growing a variety known as elephant Grass. (8) Whether | When itis grown in its native tropics, the grass {@) reaches / can reach a height of over 4 metres. Its a grass that grows happily in the cooler climates of northemn Europe, forming thick forests thal provide a welcome habitat for wildlife. One scheme is at the Drax power “ation in Yorkshire, Britain's biggest power plant. If all (10) goes / will go to plan, the station (11) i/ willbe able to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by five percent. But not everyone is happy with the scheme. Local Conservationists are worried about the impact of the giant grass on the Countryside. (12) Whether /f elephant grass solves our energy needs oF rot, they feel itis an ugly and unwelcome blot on the landscape.3 Write the second sentence s brackets, as in the example. Make any other changes necessary. 0 10 1 12 13 14 15, hasa F meaning to the first. Use the word(s) in Listen and check. If you fail to pass the medical test, we will be unable to offer you insurance cover, (unless) We. will. be somable. ta offer. you. insurance. cover. unless you pass. the. medical. test. Perhaps Sophie doesn’t like her parents-in-law, but she keeps it to herself. (even) , ‘ Use the signposted exit at the rear ofthe building if there i a fre. (of)... After hes bustand! death, Mrs Jeokins Sold the house to her son bot insisted that he lived in it himself. (condition) . if you don't request next-day delivery, we wil send the goods by norinal post. (unless) You will be awarded marks for trying to answer all the questions; not all the answers have to be correct. (whether ... not) ,...... if you wish to apply for shares, there is a registration form on our website. (should) Your membership will not be renewed unless you pay your subscription within the next seven days. (only) Cars parked illegally will be towed away at the owner’s expense. (then) Ee : £5 5 You may enter the ruins but you must put on protective footwear (providing) .. ° We will oly achieve the deadline if {fou provide all the tésources we have requested. (unless) ‘i When my parents ate out of the house I can play my music as loud as I like. (long) . The library computer can tell you about the books you have out on loan, f any. (whether ... not) You'd better take your passport because you might need proof of your identity, (case) i You may only enter the country if you have a valid visa issued by the consulate. (unless) , If we fall to deliver within fourteen days, we will deduct twenty-five percent from our invoice. (should) ...... 16738 Unlikely, unreal and past conditions If the sea defences hadn't collapsed in August 2005, New Orleans wouldn't have been flooded. 1 Forming the second conditional We can use the past simple, past continuous or was going to in the if clause If they wanted to make her an offer, she would listen and think it over. If a celebrity was staying in the hotel, security arrangements would be tightened. We use would or a modal verb (often might or could), in the main clause: More research funding could be secured if people were more aware of the disease. We can use should + infinitive or were to + that the condition is unlikely to happen If the printer should break down within the first year, we would repair it at our expense. If you were to listen more carefully, you might understand a little more, We can make this condition more formal in two ways: » by using were, not was, after [/he/she/it in the if clause (> Unit 40.2): If the programmer were familiar with this language, it would be an easy job. » by placing was/were (to) or should (> Unit 37.4) before the subject: Were you to accept our offer, we could avoid the costs of a court case. Were it not for the sea walls, the city would be at risk of flooding. Should the tickets fail to arrive, we would arrange to have duplicates waiting at the airport. finitive in the second conditional to emphasise 2. Uses of the second conditional ‘The second conditional has two main uses: «= to talk about an unlikely future event or situation: If the result of the test were positive, we would call you (We expect the results to be negative.) I wouldn’t work there unless they paid me at least double. (They're unlikely to double my pay.) ‘The choice between this pattern and the first conditional (> Unit 37) often depends on how possible we believe an event to be: FIRST CONDITIONAL If Mike rings the travel agent tomorrow, he might get a cancellation. (We believe it is likely that Mike will ring the travel agent.) SECOND CONDITIONAL If Mike rang the travel agent tomorrow, he might get a cancellation. (We believe it is unlikely that Mike will ring the travel agent.) « to talk about an unreal current event or situation, i.e. one which is contrary to known facts, It is therefore impossible to fulfil the condition: If the police were confident of their case against Sykes, surely they would take him into custody? (The police aren’t confident of their case.) We don’t use unless with these unreal conditions (> Unit 37.2). ithin two days. 168We can also use the second conditional for « giving advice (with were): If were you, I would take her out of that school. *« polite requests: If you could deal with this matter, I'd be very grateful. « desires/regrets: If we didn’t have to work so hard, we could spend more time together. Forming the third conditional We use the past perfect in the if clause and would/wouldn’t have or modal verbs (usually ‘might have or could have) in the main clause: If we had paid our cleaner more, she wouldn't have left us. It might have been easier to break the news if | had known her a bit better, If the spy had intercepted the message, he could have averted the crisis. We can use continuous forms in both clauses: If that taxi hadn’t come along, you would have been waiting there for hours. You wouldn't have missed the turning if you'd been paying attention. ‘We can use a prepositional phrase (> Unit 9.2) instead of an if clause: Don’t worry. I wouldn't have done it without asking for permission first. But for its lack of a garden, we might have bought that house. For a more formal or literary style, we can put had before the subject Had the film been released in the summer, it might have been more successfiul Had it not been for his quick thinking, we would have fallen into the river. Uses of the third conditional The third conditional describes an unreal or imagined situation or event in the past: If the sea defences hadn't collapsed, New Orleans wouldn't have been flooded. (But the known facts are: the sea defences did collapse and New Orleans was flooded.) Iwoutd have used your builder if had managed to contact him. (But the known facts are: I didn't manage to contact him so I didn’t use him.) We can use the third conditional to express criticism or regret, often with could have: If you'd been driving more slowly, you could have stopped in time. Icould have got the job if Vd performed better in the interview. Mixed conditionals, ‘There are several less common conditional patterns: 1 PAST CONDINGIY FUTURE RESULT If they left at: t yesterday, SUSAR 2 PAST CONDITION > PAST/PRESENT RESULT ‘Af you gave them all your money , agus . 3 PAST UNREAL CONDITION PRESENT RESULT (He did have the promotion so he no longer works here.) 4 PRESENT UNREAL CONDITION PAST RESULT SL a EET EY Af the island were still tourist attraction , more people would have died in the earthquake . (The island is no longer a tourist attraction so fewer people died.) Differences between British and American English > page 368 1693B unucery, unzeat ano past conomons Practice 1 Read the statements carefully and think about the mea words in italics in the explanations. 1 ‘IF we'd missed that flight, we wouldn’t be on the beach now.’ We are / aren't on the beach now. We missed / didn’t miss the flight. 2. ‘IF she wanted to see you again, she would have phoned by now.’ She has / hasn't phoned. She probably does / doesn’t want to see you again. 3 ‘If we'd taken out the warranty, we wouldn’t need to pay for these repairs.’ We took / didn’t take out a warranty so we have to / don’t have to pay for these repairs. 4. ‘I'd ask for a refund if I were you.’ Y'm talking about the past / giving advice. 5 ‘We'd get a lot more light if there wasn’t a huge tree in our back garden.’ There is / used to be a big tree in our garden. 6 ‘You'd be able to spend more time with the children if you changed to a part-time job. I think you are likely / unlikely to change your job. 7 ‘If we knew more about computers, we wouldn’t have had to call the technical helpline.’ ‘We had to / didn’t have to call the helpline because we didn’t /don’t know much about computers. 8 ‘We'd have a less stressful life if we didn’t live so far from the office.’ I'm expressing a regret about a past / present situation. 2 Read each short text and the conditional sentences that follow it. Tick (/) the correct conditional sentences. (One or two may be correct in each case.) Put a cross (x) by the Concorde crash incorrect ones. Think about the The report into the crash of the Air France meaning as well as the grammar. Concorde attributed the disaster to a piece of metal on the runway, apparently from a Continental Airlines DC10 which had taken off minutes before. The metal caused one of Concorde's tyres to burst, which in turn ruptured the fuel tank on the left-hand side of the plane. A If the runway were swept after each take-off, the disaster might have been averted. g. Then choose the correct ‘Video & Aucio I Magazine | Estos Blog I Pictures| Also in the IN LAST WEEK'S peaceful demonstrations (2) i urma, one demonstrator was seriously injured when she fell and was trampled by the crowd trying to flee from the water cannons. She is still in hospital in a critical condition. A Ifthe demonstrator didnt fall, she might be in hospital now. i ihe demonstrator had fallen, she B If the runway had been swept after the C10 might not be in hospital now. take-off, the disaster could have been averted. © If the demonstrator hadn't fallen, she If the runway hadn't been swept after the DC10 might not have been seriously injured. take-off, the disaster might have been averted. months through income from ‘having their work. published. A Should you not recover the fees within a ‘course, We would give you a full refund, B Did you not recover the fees within a year Course, we would give you a full refund If you hadn't recovered the fees within a course, we would give you a full refund, year of completing the F of completing the year of completing the 1703- Match each if clause with two main clauses from A-L below. Then complete the main clauses, using the words in brackets, as in the example. Use modal verbs if appropriate. (BERGE Listen and check. Rano the elimination of hereditary diseases Hiroshima and Nagasaki much of our history... the motor car the debate around modified crops PRON DTOamUOeS EXMMEANEAT complete the conditional sentences 1-5 from the information given, as in the example, HEEZI Listen and check. 0 Governments would take the problem more seriously if there were more. international, pressure, 1 If it were to rain, 2. The tourist industry might ..... 3. If the governments involved 4 There might be more 5 Current attempts to fight the fires would have been If Bill Gates hadn't been in the right place at the right time, BE If athletes today didn’t take their training so ser If the internal combustion engine hadn't been invented, If scientists hadn't discovered how to build an atomic bomb, If it weren't possible for scientists to isolate individual genes, If the printing press had not been invented, sly, feasible. (not/be) he,...wouldn't be one of the richest men in the world now. (not/be) (not/be/destroyed) ae : possible to extend education to most people. (not/become) Microsoft weuldi’t have became. a household name. (not/become) unknown to us. (be) sport so exciting to watch. (not/be) ... (never/be/developed) an issue. (not/be) we probably suse. Such a problem with carbon emissions. (not/have) the world sesssesnsesne @ MOTE Secure and peaceful place. (be) they... so many records in recent years. (not/break) South-East Asia faces new smog crisis FOREST PIRES are breaking out all over south-east Asia. (0) Governments are not taking the problem seriously because of a lack of international pressure. (1) Only heavy: can avert the crisis. Unfortunately, the forecast is for the weather to remain hot and dry for the foreseeable future. (2) The government stopped releasing pollution levels in June because it didn't ‘want to frighten off tourists. The tourist industry has not yet suffered. (3) The governments involved didn't take positive action after the previous disaster. Environmentalists think this is why the current crisis has happened. (4) One of the problems is that few of the countries affected have a Ministry of the Environment, so there is no serious environmental protection. (5) The failure of governments to build reliable water supply networks in rural areas is a major reason why current attempts to fight the fires have been so ineffective.