Thursday, April 11th, 2024

Topic of the day Conditionals

What is a conditional:

Grammar explanation

Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause tells you the condition

(If you study hard) and the main clause tells you the result (you will pass your exams). The order of the
clauses does not change the meaning.

If you study hard, you will pass your exams.

You will pass your exams if you study hard.

4 Types of Conditional Sentences

There are four types of conditional sentences.

It’s important to use the correct structure for each of these different types, because they express
varying meanings.

Pay attention to verb tense when using different conditional modes.

Use a comma after the if-clause when the if-clause precedes the main clause.

Conditional sentences are statements discussing known factors or hypothetical situations and their
consequences. We use them to communicate that something is true or happens only if something
else is true or happens—that is, only under a certain condition. Complete conditional sentences
contain a conditional clause (often referred to as the if-clause) and the consequence. Consider the
following sentences:

Ex: If a certain condition is true, then a particular result happens.

Ex: I would travel around the world if I won the lottery.

Ex: When water reaches 100 degrees, it boils.

There are four different types of conditional sentences in English. Each expresses a different degree
of probability that a situation will occur or would have occurred under certain circumstances.

1 Zero conditional sentences

2 First conditional sentences
3 Second conditional sentences
4 Third conditional sentences

How to use zero conditional sentences

Zero conditional sentences express general truths—situations in which one thing always causes
another. When you use a zero conditional, you’re talking about a general truth rather than a
specific instance of something. Consider the following examples:

If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.

When people smoke cigarettes, their health suffers.

There are a couple of things to take note of in the above sentences using the zero conditional. First,
when using the zero conditional, the correct tense in both clauses is the simple present tense. A
common mistake is to use the simple future tense.

If + Present Simple, …. Present Simple.

1. (I / wake up late / I / be late for work)

2. For example:

3. If you freeze water, it turns into ice.

4. And, if you heat water at 100 degrees, it boils.
5. If students miss an exam, the professor fails them

6.
THE SECOND CONDITIONAL

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

if + past simple, ... would + infinitive

If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house. (I probably won't win the
lottery)

If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.

She would travel all over the world if she were rich.

She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't
happen)

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in formal writing).

It has two uses.

First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true. Maybe
I'm imagining some dream for example.