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    Conditional Sentences

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    amritjosan
    There are two types of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditionals describe real situations using the present tense, such as "If the weather is nice, she walks to work." Unreal conditionals describe imaginary situations using the past tense and modal verbs like "would", such as "She would travel around the world if she had more money." The proper use of conditionals, including exceptions for modal verbs, is important for conversations and testing.

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    Conditional Sentences

    Uploaded by

    amritjosan
    147 views3 pages
    There are two types of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditionals describe real situations using the present tense, such as "If the weather is nice, she walks to work." Unreal conditionals describe imaginary situations using the past tense and modal verbs like "would", such as "She would travel around the world if she had more money." The proper use of conditionals, including exceptions for modal verbs, is important for conversations and testing.

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    There are two types of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditionals describe real situations using the present tense, such as "If the weather is nice, she walks to work." Unreal conditionals describe imaginary situations using the past tense and modal verbs like "would", such as "She would travel around the world if she had more money." The proper use of conditionals, including exceptions for modal verbs, is important for conversations and testing.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    147 views3 pages

    Conditional Sentences

    Uploaded by

    amritjosan
    There are two types of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditionals describe real situations using the present tense, such as "If the weather is nice, she walks to work." Unreal conditionals describe imaginary situations using the past tense and modal verbs like "would", such as "She would travel around the world if she had more money." The proper use of conditionals, including exceptions for modal verbs, is important for conversations and testing.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

    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 Conditionals
    Present Real Conditional
    FORM

    [If / When +Simple Present , Simple Present ] OR

    [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 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.
    A: Where do you stay if you go to Sydney?
    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.
    If I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
    I RARELY HAVE DAYS OFF FROM WORK.

    Present Unreal Conditional


    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.

    EXCEPTION If I were ...

    Examples:

    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.

    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 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

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