Unit 3.
Conditional clauses.
Tense Uses Examples
Zero conditional. To express real situations. If I eat too much in the evening, I can’t sleep at
night.
If/When + present tense | Present tense.
First conditional. To express real situations. If you don’t apologise, you’ll regret it later.
If + present tense | future tense will.
Second conditional To express unreal situations. If I had some money, I would live somewhere
warmer.
If+present tense | would /could /might. If I were you, I’d go now before it rains.
Third conditional. To express unreal situations If she hadn’t had the chocolate chip ice cream,
she would have been in a worse mood.
If + past perfect | would/could/might+have+ PP
Mixed conditionals. If+past tense | might/could/should/would. If I weren’t so untidy, I wouldn’t have lost your
For situations in the present which affect the past. keys.
If + past perfect | would/might/could + Infinitive If I had moved to California, I would be much
For situations in the past which affect the present. richer today.
First conditional: This often expresses a tentative If I should require more assistance, please
idea/request/offer, etc. telephone.
INVERSION AND CONDITIONALS Should you require more assistance, please
(Sentences with inversion are more formal than telephone.
those with “If”)
Second conditional If I went out in this weather, you’d be thoroughly
soaked.
Were you go out in this weather, you’d be
thoroughly soaked.
Third conditional. If I had known there was going to be a storm, I
would have stayed indoors.
Had I known there was going to be a storm, I
would have stayed indoors.
OTHER CONDITIONAL CLAUSES. If+would | will If you would take a seat, the doctor will see you
shortly.
If + will | will I’ll clean the house, if you mow the lawn.
Other words and phrases can be used to
introduce conditional clauses.
Providing, provided that, as/so long as. These are similar to if, but they are all empathic
forms of emphasising a condition.
Even if Introduces an extreme condition. Well, it’s true, even if you refuse to believe me.
Unless Can be replaced by: if…not or providing…not I won’t give a waiter a tip except when / unless I
but sometimes works better with except when. get excellent service.
Supposing Should be used at the beginning of the sentence Supposing/suppose it rains tomorrow. What will
and is often not used as a linking word, but rather we do?
in the sentence setting up the condition.
Given that. Is used when some fact is already known. Given that this area is liable to flood, it would be
unwise in the extreme to consider buying a house
here.
But for and without. Are often used with the third conditional But for his help, I would never have managed to
sentences. survive the ferry crossing.
