Conditionals
There are two kinds of
conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real Conditional describes real-life
situations. Unreal Conditional describes unreal, imaginary situations. Although
the various conditional forms might seem quite abstract at first, they are actually
some of the most useful structures in English and are commonly included in
daily conversations
Present Real Conditional
FORM
[If / When ... Simple
Present ..., ... Simple Present ...]
[... Simple Present ... if
/ when ... Simple Present ...]
USE
The Present Real
Conditional is used to talk about what you normally do in real-life situations.
Examples:
·
If I go to
a friend's house for dinner, I usually take a bottle of wine
or some flowers.
·
When I have a
day off from work, I often go to the beach.
·
If the
weather is nice, she walks to work.
·
Jerry helps me
with my homework when he has time.
·
I read if
there is nothing on TV.
·
A: What do
you do when it rains?
B: I stay at home.
B: I stay at home.
·
A:
Where do you stay if you go to Sydney?
B: I stay with my friends near the harbor.
B: I stay with my friends near the harbor.
IMPORTANT If / When
Both "if" and
"when" are used in the Present Real Conditional. Using "if"
suggests that something happens less frequently. Using "when" suggests that
something happens regularly.
Examples:
·
When I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
I regularly have days off from work.
I regularly have days off from work.
·
If I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
I rarely have days off from work.
I rarely have days off from work.
FORM
[If ... Simple Past ...,
... would + verb ...]
[... would + verb ... if
... Simple Past ...]
USE
The Present Unreal
Conditional is used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary
situations.
Examples:
·
If I owned a
car, I would drive to work. But I don't own a car.
·
She would
travel around the world if she had more money. But
she doesn't have much money.
·
I would
read more if I didn't watch so much TV.
·
Mary would
move to Japan if she spoke Japanese.
·
If they worked harder,
they would earn more money.
·
A: What would you do if
you won the lottery?
B: I would buy a house.
B: I would buy a house.
·
A:
Where would you live if you moved to
the U.S.?
B: I would live in Seattle.
B: I would live in Seattle.
EXCEPTION If I were ...
In the Present Unreal
Conditional, the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct.
In written English or in testing situations, you should always use
"were." However, in everyday conversation, "was" is often used.
Examples:
·
If he were French,
he would live in Paris.
·
If she were rich,
she would buy a yacht.
·
I would play
basketball if I were taller.
·
I would buy
that computer if it were cheaper.
·
I would buy
that computer if it was cheaper. Not
Correct (But often said in conversation.)
IMPORTANT Only use "If"
Only the word
"if" is used with the Present Unreal Conditional because you are
discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.
Examples:
·
I would buy
that computer when it were cheaper. Not Correct
·
I would buy
that computer if it were cheaper. Correct
EXCEPTION Conditional with Modal
Verbs
There are some special
conditional forms for modal verbs in English:
would + can =
could
would + shall
= should
would + may =
might
The words "can,"
"shall" and "may" cannot be used with "would."
Instead, they must be used in these special forms.
Examples:
·
If I went to
Egypt, I would can learn Arabic. Not Correct
·
If I went to
Egypt, I could learn Arabic. Correct
·
If she had
time, she would may go to the party. Not Correct
·
If she had
time, she might go to the party. Correct
The words
"could," should," "might" and "ought to"
include conditional, so you cannot combine them with "would."
Examples:
·
If I had more
time, I would could exercise after work. Not Correct
·
If I had more
time, I could exercise after work. Correct
·
If he invited
you, you really would should go. Not Correct
·
If he invited
you, you really should go. Correct
Conditional Sentence
→ It is impossible that the
condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.
Example: If I had found her address, I would
have sent her an invitation.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type
III refer to situations in the past. An action could have happened in the past
if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Things were different then, however.
We just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled.
Examples
Example: If
I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.
Sometime in the past, I
wanted to send an invitation to a friend. I didn't find her address, however.
So in the end I didn't send her an invitation.
Example: If John had had the money, he would have bought a
Ferrari.
I knew John very well and I
know that he never had much money, but he loved Ferraris. He would have loved
to own a Ferrari, but he never had the money to buy one.
exercises:
5 - http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/grammar/3g18-first-second-conditional-exercise.php
6 - http://speakspeak.com/english-grammar-exercises/intermediate/first-versus-second-conditional
7 - http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/condit1.htm
8 - https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/tests/conditional-sentences-3
ACTIVITY 1
In groups of three students present to the class in a poster what your ideal world would be like.
include in your presentation the passive voice and the conditionals. you can include images, video clips or sound. Be creative.
ACTIVITY 2
Dscribe your fears and dreams about your future (family, carreer, job, travel, happines), use conditionals, 100 word minimun.
6 - http://speakspeak.com/english-grammar-exercises/intermediate/first-versus-second-conditional
7 - http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/condit1.htm
8 - https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/tests/conditional-sentences-3
ACTIVITY 1
In groups of three students present to the class in a poster what your ideal world would be like.
include in your presentation the passive voice and the conditionals. you can include images, video clips or sound. Be creative.
ACTIVITY 2
Dscribe your fears and dreams about your future (family, carreer, job, travel, happines), use conditionals, 100 word minimun.
