CONDITIONAL CLAUSES
Grammar theory -
Conditional
clauses, describe the condition upon which the action in the main
clause depends. Their basic structure is the following:
If…………then………………..
Different types of conditional will depend on how possible is that expressed in the conditional clause.
Here if could be replaced by when and the resulting sentence would be:
'When it was very cold, we switched on the heating.'
IF
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PRESENT (or same tense)
|
PRESENT (or same tense
|
If
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It is very cold/it was very cold
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We switch/switched on the heating
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Type I- open condition
What happens in the main clause may or may not happen, depending on the conditional cluse
IF
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PRESENT
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FUTURE, IMPERATIVE, CAN, MAY
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If
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You want to lose weight,
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You will probably be hungry
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If
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You see her,
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Tell her to give me a ring
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IMPERATIVE
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"AND"/"OR"
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FUTURE
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Keep working like that
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And
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You will have an accident
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Please sit down
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Or
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You won't see the show.
|
Something that may happen is seen as depending on chance or highly improbable.
IF
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SHOULD
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FUTURE and IMPERATIVE
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If
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You should find this can difficult to open,
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Return to the shop
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SHOULD + subject + verb
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FUTURE and IMPERATIVE
|
Should you find my keyholder,
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You will telephone me immediately
Telephone me immediately
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Type 2- hypothetical but possible condition
The main clause depends on an imaginary non fact in the if-clause, expressed by past tenses
IF
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PAST
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CONDITIONAL, COULD, MIGHT
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If
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You bought a car
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You would spend money on fuel
You could drive your friends around
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It is less likely that the action in the conditional takes place.
IF
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"WERE TO"
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CONDITIONAL, COULD, MIGHT
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If
|
You were to meet Mr James,
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You could see that he's a nasty little guy
|
WERE + SUBJECT + TO INFINITIVE
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CONDITIONAL, COULD, MIGHT
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Were you to find walking difficult,
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You could try the easy way up.
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Type 3- hypothetical but unreal condition
What is said in the main clause is an imaginary consequence of something that that didn't happen
IF
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PAST PERFECT
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PERFECT CONDITIONAL
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If
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We had followed his advices
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We would have found a house near the river
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IF
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PAST PERFECT
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COULD or MIGHT HAVE
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If
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You had told me before
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I could have got you the tickets
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Summary of inversions in the conditional sentences
In type 1
"SHOULD" INVERTED
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FUTURE or IMPERATIVE
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Should my mother call me
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Tell her I'm not feeling too well
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In type 2
"WERE TO" INVERTED
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CONDITIONAL
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Were they to arrive tomorrow
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We would have to buy some food
|
In type 3
PAST PERFECT INVERTED
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PERFECT CONDITIONAL
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Had you seen what I saw
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you would have also believed it
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Other expressions used in conditional clauses:
UNLESS
" Si no…"
"A menos que..."
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You won't finish the race unless you control your effort.
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"WHETHER…OR NOT"
"Tanto….como si no "
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Whether you pay or not, you won't get in without an invitation.
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"ON CONDITION THAT"
"PROVIDED THAT"
"PROVIDING THAT"
"SO LONG AS"
"AS LONG AS
"Siempre que, en tanto que, con la condición de que,...etc
"ASSUMING THAT"
"SUPPOSING THAT"
"SUPPOSE THAT"
"Suponiendo que.."
|
"I will only tell my age on condition that you tell yours."
"What would you do supposing that you were given the chance to see the future ?"
"Assuming that it's fine tomorrow, we'll go for a swim"
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Exercise 1
MIXED CONDITIONALS (3)
1.If
I _________________ (be) rich enough to buy a desert island, I
___________(not build) many houses, or wildlife
_________________.(disappear)
2.
It is a pity the owner of that Picasso didn't want to sell, because if
she _______________ (want) to put up the picture for sale, I
_________________ (buy) it.
3. If my mother _________________ (come) to see our new house, we _____________ (have) to have our windows repaired.
4.
You _________________(can) watch English TV unless you
_________________ (buy) a satellite dish. If I _________________ (be)
you, I _________________(buy) one.
5. I'm sure some people in the institute _________________ (wear) jeans even if they _________________ (live) under the water.
Exercise 2
MIXED CONDITIONAL (4)
1. If you ____________________ (have) anything to say to me, please ____________________ (tell) me quick.
2. I would have asked for another set if you ____________________ (give) me the money.
3. ____________________ children start bothering you, please ____________________ (call) the teacher.
4. Drive faster and you ____________________ (have) an accident.
5. If I ____________________ what was going to happen, I ____________________ the club.
6. If he ____________________ (be) on his knees today, maybe I ____________________ (marry) him.
7. You ____________________(can) to pass your driving test, provided that you
____________________(keep) calm.
8.What ____________________ you ____________________ (do) if you ____________________ (find)a bag containing a lot of money ?
9. I ____________________ (tell) you on conditon that you ____________________ (not tell) anybody.
10. Something horrible ____________________ ( happen)if I ____________________ (not turn) off the gas
Exercise 3
Rewrite these sentences using the conjunctions in brackets.
1. If you gave me 1000€ I still ____________(not go) into a coal mine.(Even if)
Even if you gave me 1000€ I wouldn't go into a coal mine.
2 I (lend) you my book if you let me have it back by Monday. (on (the) condition (that))
____________________________________________________________
3 If you look after it, I (let) you keep my bicycle till the weekend. (providing (that))
______________________________________________________
4 If you (not tell) anyone else, I'll tell you what happened. (so long as)
______________________________________________________
5 If it (be) a holiday on Monday, we can drive to the seaside. (assuming (that))
______________________________________________________
6 The children were never scolded if they (do) what they were told. (so long as)_-
______________________________________________________
exercise 4
Put in the right conditionals.
THE SECRET OF A LONG LIFE
Grygori
Pilikian recently celebrated his 114th birthday and reporters visited
him in his mountain village in Georgia to find out the secret of a long
life. 'The secret of a long life,' Grygori said, 'is happiness. If you
(be) 1 __________ happy, you will live a long time.' 'Are you married?' a
reporter asked. 'Yes,' Grygori replied. 'I married my third wife when I
was 102. If you are happily married, you (live)__________2 for ever.
But for my third wife, I __________(die) 3 years ago.' 'What about
smoking and drinking?' a reporter asked. 'Yes, they are important,'
Grygori said. 'Don't smoke at all and you (feel)__________ 4 well. Drink
two glasses of wine a day and you__________ (be) 5 healthy and happy.'
'If you_________ (can/live) B your life again, what (you/do)
7__________?' a reporter asked. 'I would do what I have done. If I had
had more sense, I __________(eat) 8 more yoghourt!' he chuckled.
'Supposing you __________(can/change) 9 one thing in your life what
you/change)__________ 1O ?' another reporter asked. 'Not much,' Grygori
replied. 'So you don't have anyregrets?' 'Yes, I have one regret,'
Grygori replied. 'If I (know) 11__________ I was going to live so long,
I__________(look after) 12 myself better!'
