Conditionals

Workshop by Daniel Murcia

1. Match the group of sentences (A-D) with the best explanation. Write 0, 1 st, 2nd or 3rd.

0: About the present in general: something happens if/when a condition is fulfilled. (A fact; an unquestionable
truth; something that usually happens; something that someone usually does). It’s a realistic situation in the
context of the conversation because it describes everyday life.

1st: About the future: something will happen if/when a condition is fulfilled. (It is likely to happen because it is a
usual or expected situation). It’s a realistic situation in the context of the conversation.

2nd: About the present or future: something would happen if a condition were fulfilled. (It is unlikely to happen
because it is an unexpected or even impossible situation). It’s an unrealistic situation in the context of the
conversation.

3rd: About the past: something would have happened if the condition had been fulfilled. (The speaker regrets
something that happened or didn’t happen, or something that he/she did or didn’t do). It’s an unrealistic
situation because the past can’t be changed.

A.
If you eat too much fat, you will be overweight.
You will pass the course if you study hard.
You will graduate next semester if you don’t have any problems with your _____
dissertation. conditional
I will have a party when I graduate.
When I am old, I will move to the countryside.

B.
If I had been there, I would have told him the truth.
She would have won the beauty pageant if she had had a better sponsor.
They would have passed the test if they had studied more. _____
If he had asked, I would have lent him the money. conditional
They would have won the match if they had been patient.

C.
If I were rich, I would buy a Ferrari.
I would punish you if I were your mother.
If I could fly, I wouldn’t need to take Transmilenio. _____
She would be a model if she were taller. conditional
He would pass his exams if he studied more.

D.
If you eat too much candy, you can have health problems.
If water gets to 100 degrees, it boils.
A student doesn’t pass our English courses if he/she gets a final grade of 2.9. _____
People usually mourn in Colombia when they lose a relative. conditional
When I don’t understand a topic, I try to find tutorials on the internet.
 2. Answer these questions:

1. What is the difference between a sentence and a clause?

_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is a conditional?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. How many clauses does a conditional have?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. How can you identify the clauses in a conditional?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Is the order of the clauses important in a conditional? Is there any difference?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. In which conditionals can you use when instead of if? Is there any difference?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Did you notice anything strange in the form of verb be in the 2nd conditional?
_______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Complete the chart with the structure (tense) and create a new example:

0 (zero) conditional
Condition (If/when clause) Consequence

Example (The same idea with the two possible ways to order the clauses):
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________

1st (first) conditional

Condition (If/when clause) Consequence

Example (The same idea with the two possible ways to order the clauses):
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________

2nd (second) conditional

Condition (If clause) Consequence

Example (The same idea with the two possible ways to order the clauses):
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________

3rd (third) conditional

Condition (If clause) Consequence

Example (The same idea with the two possible ways to order the clauses):
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________