Conditional sentences

Conditional sentences are sometimes confusing for learners of English as a second language.

Watch out:

1. Which type of conditional sentences is it?

2. Where is the if-clause (e.g. at the beginning or at the end of the conditional sentence)?

There are three types of conditional sentences.

type condition
I condition possible to fulfill
II condition in theory possible to fulfill
III condition not possible to fulfill (too late)

1. Form

type if-clause main clause

I Simple Present will-future or (Modal + infinitive)
II Simple Past would + infinitive *
III Past Perfect would + have + past participle *

2. Examples (if-clause at the beginning)

type if clause main clause

I If I study, I will pass the exam.
II If I studied, I would pass the exam.
III If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.

3. Examples (if-clause at the end)

type main clause if-clause

I I will pass the exam if I study.
II I would pass the exam if I studied.
III I would have passed the exam if I had studied.

4. Examples (affirmative and negative sentences)

type Examples
long forms short/contracted forms
+ If I study, I will pass the exam. If I study, I'll pass the exam.
I If I study, I will not fail the exam. If I study, I won't fail the exam.
-
If I do not study, I will fail the exam. If I don't study, I'll fail the exam.
type Examples
long forms short/contracted forms
+ If I studied, I would pass the exam. If I studied, I'd pass the exam.
II If I studied, I would not fail the exam. If I studied, I wouldn't fail the exam.
-
If I did not study, I would fail the exam. If I didn't study, I'd fail the exam.
If I had studied, I would have passed the
+ If I'd studied, I'd have passed the exam.
exam.
If I had studied, I would not have failed the
III If I'd studied, I wouldn't have failed the
exam.
- exam.
If I had not studied, I would have failed the
If I hadn't studied, I'd have failed the exam.
exam.

* We can substitute could or might for would (should, may or must are sometimes possible, too).

 I would pass the exam.

 I could pass the exam.
 I might pass the exam.
 I may pass the exam.
 I should pass the exam.
 I must pass the exam.

1. What are adjectives?

Adjectives tell us something about a person or a thing.

2. What do adjectives modify?

Adjectives can modify nouns or pronouns/names.

person thing

Mandy is a careful girl. This is a nice car.

Mandy is careful. The car is nice.

She is careful. It is nice.

3. Where do adjectives go?

An adjective can be put before the noun. Then it is an attribute.

person thing

Mandy is a careful girl. This is a nice car.

An adjective can be put after the verb to be (is). This is called predicative position.

person thing

The girl is careful. This car is nice.

Adjectives can go after the following verbs:

 appear
 become

 feel

 get

 go

 keep

 turn

When we speak about what something looks like, smells, sounds and tastes – we use the
adjective. Mind the difference between adjective and adverb.

 I feel great.
 She looks good.

 It seems impossible.

 The steak smells fantastic.

4. Can adjectives be used without nouns?

Yes, adjectives can be used without nouns. Mind the definite article the:

 the rich = rich people

Here is an example from the fairy tale Cinderella:

 “The good must be put in the dish, the bad you may eat if you wish.”
Here is another example with nationalities in the plural:

 The Scottish live in the North of the United Kingdom.

5. Can two or more adjectives be used together?

Yes, if you use more adjectives you can put them in front of the noun:

 a fat old cat

or you can put them after the verb (e.g. to be). In this case and is placed between the last two
adjectives.

 It was cold, wet and windy.

6. Adjectives, ending in -ing and -ed

There are adjectives ending in -ing and -ed. These are participle constructions, used like
adjectives. Here are some examples:

A) Here the adjective is put before the noun:

 Yesterday I read an amusing story in a magazine.
 Doris has a boring job.

 We watched the group of excited people.

B) Here the adjective is put after the verb:

 I was not at all amused by the dicussion.
 Children get bored very quickly.

 The end of the film was really exciting for me.

without the definite article with the definite article – the

general words (indefinite) general words (definite)
 Life is too short.  I've read a book on the life of Bill Clinton.

 I like flowers.  I like the flowers in your garden.

names of persons on the singular,
relatives
family names in the plural
 Peter and John live in London.
 The Smiths live in Chicago.

 Aunt Mary lives in Los Angeles.

public buildings, institutions, means of public buildings, institutions, means of transport
transport (indefinite) (definite)
 without the definite article with the definite article – the
 Mandy doesn't like school.
 The school that Mandy goes to is old.
 We go to school by bus.
 The bus to Dresden leaves at 7.40.
 Some people go to church on
 The round church in Klingenthal is famous.
Sundays.
names of countries in the singular,
summits of mountains, continents, towns names of countries in the plural, mountain ranges,
 Germany regions
 France  the United States of America
 the Netherlands
 Mount Whitney
 the Highlands
 Mount McKinley
 the Rocky Mountains
 Africa
 the Alps
 Europe
 the Middle East
 Cairo
 the west of Australia
 New York
single islands groups of islands
 Corfu  the Bahamas
 Bermuda  the British Isles

 Sicily  the Canaries

parks, lakes, streets names with of-phrase, names in plural, well-known
 Central Park buildings, oceans, seas, rivers, musical instruments,
 Hyde Park newspapers
 the Statue of Liberty
 Lake Michigan  the Tower (of London)

 Loch Ness  the Great Lakes

 42nd Street  the Empire State Building

 Oxford Street  the Isle of Wight

 the Atlantic (Ocean)
 the Mediterranean (Sea)
 the Nile
 the Rhine
 the Suez Canal
 without the definite article with the definite article – the
 the piano

 the Times
months, days of the week (indefinite)
months, days of the week (definite)
 The weekend is over on Monday
 I always remember the Monday when I had an
morning.
accident.
 July and August are the most
 The August of 2001 was hot and dry.
popular months for holidays.

We use the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) with or without the definite
article.

 in summer
 in the summer

The American English word fall is always used with the definite article the.

Sometimes we use the article and sometimes we do not. It often depends on the context. Watch
the following example:

1. The student goes to school.

2. The mother goes to the school.

In the first sentence we do not use the definite article, in the second we do. The student goes to
school for its primary purpose, so we do not use the article.

The mother might talk to a teacher, for example. She visits the school for a different reason.
That's why we use the definite article the in the second sentence.

1. The indefinite article – a

The indefinite article a is the same for all genders.

 a boy
 a girl

 a cat

The indefinite article has no plural form.

 a boy → boys
We use an if the following word starts with a spoken vowel.

the following word starts with a spoken

the following word starts with a spoken vowel
consonant

 a boy  an aunt

 a school  an old school

 a girl  an American girl

Mind the pronunciation of the following word.

The first sound we speak is [j], so we use a → a The first sound we speak is [ʌ], so we use an → an
unit uncle

2. Use of the indefinite article a/an

2.1. before phrases of time and measurements (per week/weekly)
 We have English 4 times a week.
 I go on holiday twice a year.

 Our car can do 220 kilometres an hour.

 Tomatoes are $2 a kilo.

2.2. before phrases of jobs

 My father is a car mechanic.

2.3. with a noun complement

 He is a good boy.

2.4. before phrases of nationality

 Bruce Springsteen is an American.

2.5. half/quite
 We need half a pound of sugar.
 This is quite a good story.

1. What is the Gerund?

-ing form used as a noun

2. Form
infinitive + -ing
3. Examples
 Gerund as Subject:

Going to parties is fun.

 Gerund as Object:

I enjoy reading.

4. Gerund after the following verbs

 admit

He admitted having driven too fast.

 avoid

They avoid going on holiday on Saturdays.

 carry on

If we carry on sleeping so badly, we may need help.

 consider

Ralph is considering buying a new house.

 delay

I delayed telling Max the news.

 deny

She denies reading the book.

 dislike

We dislike reading poems.

 can't/couldn't help

He couldn't help falling in love with her.

 enjoy
 I enjoy playing chess.

 finish

They finished working in the garden.

 give up

Susan gives up playing ice-hockey.

 imagine

He imagined driving a new car.

 include

Your responsibility includes taking reservations on the phone.

 involve

The project will involve growing plants.

 justify

I cannot justify paying $100 for this ticket.

 keep (on)

They keep on running.

 mention

Did Alex ever mention playing baseball?

 mind

I don't mind sleeping on the couch.

 miss

They miss playing with their friends.

 practise

She practised playing hockey.

 regret*
 Do you regret having mentioned it?

 risk

You risk catching a cold.

 suggest

She suggested flying to Cairo.

* After regret the to-infinitive is used when announcing bad news: We regret to inform you that
the flight to Munich has been cancelled.

5. Gerund after special phrases

 to be busy

He is busy reading the paper.

 don't mind

I don't mind telling them my opinion.

 feel like

We feel like having a cup of tea.

 how about

How about walking home instead of taking the car?

 it's (no) good

It's no good talking to this girl.

 it's no use

It's no use talking to the headmaster.

 spend one's time

They spend their time reading.

 there's no

There's no cheating anymore.

  there's no point

There's no point in complaining further.

 what about

What about going to the zoo?

 worth

The book is worth reading.

1. Gerund after prepositions that stand alone

 after

After having a shower, I waited for Steven.

 before

The tablet must not be taken before getting up in the morning.

 by

I manage it by working much longer than 40-hour weeks.

 in spite of

In spite of studying a lot he didn't pass the exams.

 on

What was her reaction on hearing the news?

 without

He told the joke without laughing.

2. Gerund after Adjective + Preposition

 afraid of

They are afraid of losing the match.

 angry about/at
 Pat is angry about walking in the rain.

 bad at/good at

John is good at working in the garden.

 clever at

He is clever at skateboarding.

 crazy about

The girl is crazy about playing tennis.

 disappointed about/at

He is disappointed about seeing such a bad report.

 excited about

We are excited about making our own film.

 famous for

Sandy is famous for singing songs.

 fed up with

I'm fed up with being treated as a child.

 fond of

Hannah is fond of going to parties.

 glad about

She is glad about getting married again.

 happy about/at

The children are not happy about seeing a doctor.

 interested in

Are you interested in writing poems?

 keen on
 Joe is keen on drawing.

 proud of

She is proud of riding a snowboard.

 sick of

We're sick of sitting around like this.

 sorry about/for

He's sorry for eating in the lesson.

 tired of

I'm tired of waiting for you.

 used to

She is used to smoking.

 worried about

I'm worried about making mistakes.

3. Gerund after Noun + Preposition

 advantage of

What is the advantage of farming over hunting?

 chance of

There's a chance of catching a cold these days.

 choice between

There's a choice between flying to London Heathrow or Stansted.

 danger of

Peggy is in danger of making a mistake.

 difficulty in

He has difficulty in texting.

 doubt about

He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system.

 hope of

There's little hope of catching the new Corvette.

 idea of

I like the idea of setting up a new email account.

 interest in

There's no interest in writing letters.

 method of

This is a simple method of finding solutions.

 opportunity of

There's some opportunity of bringing her parents together again.

 possibility of

These wheels offer the possibility of riding tubeless.

 problem of

He has the problem of swimming too slow.

 reason for

There's a real reason for winning the contest.

 risk of

There's a risk of digging too deep.

 trouble for

He was in trouble for stealing.

 way of

This is a new way of building a wall.

4. Gerund after Verb + Preposition

 accuse of

They were accused of breaking into a shop.

 agree with

I agree with playing darts.

 apologize for

They apologize for being late.

 believe in

She doesn't believe in getting lost in the wood.

 blame for

The reporter is blamed for writing bad stories.

 complain about

She complains about bullying.

 concentrate on

Do you concentrate on reading or writing?

 congratulate sb. on

I wanted to congratulate you on making such a good speech.

 cope with

He is not sure how to cope with getting older.

 decide against

They decided against stealing the car.

 depend on

Success may depend on becoming more patient.

 dream about/of
 Sue dreams of being a pop star.

 feel like

They feel like going to bed.

 get used to

You must get used to working long hours.

 insist on

The girls insisted on going out with Mark.

 look forward to

I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.

 prevent sb. from sth.

How can I prevent Kate from working in this shop?

 rely on sth.

He doesn't rely on winning in the casino.

 succeed in

How then can I succeed in studying chemistry?

 specialize in

The firm specialized in designing websites.

 stop sb. from

I stopped Andrew from smoking.

 talk about/of

They often talk about travel(l)ing to New Zealand.

 think of

Frank thinks of playing chess.

 warn sb. against

 We warned them against using this computer.

 worry about

The patient worries about having the check-up.

Verb Examples
He began talking.
begin
He began to talk.
They continue smoking.
continue
They continue to smoke.
Do you hate working on Saturdays?
hate
Do you hate to work on Saturdays?
I like swimming.
like
I like to swim.
She loves painting.
love
She loves to paint.
Pat prefers walking home.
prefer
Pat prefers to walk home.
They start singing.
start
They start to sing.

These verbs can also be followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive without changing their meaning.
Mind the structure with the infinitive:

 Gerund: Verb + -ing

 Infinitive: Verb + Person (as object) + infinitive with to

Verb Examples
They advise walking to town.
advise
They advise us to walk to town.
They do not allow smoking here.
allow
They do not allow us to smoke here.
They encourage doing the test.
encourage
They encourage us to do the test.
They do not permit smoking here.
permit
They do not permit us to smoke here.

When recommend is followed by an infinitive, put that after recommend, then the object and
then the infinitive without to.
 Verb Examples
They recommend walking.
recommend
They recommend that we walk.

There is sometimes a little change in the meaning of the sentences depending on the use of the
Gerund or the Infinitive. Here is an example with like.

Verbs change their meaning when they are followed by a

Gerund or an Infinitive
Some verbs have different meanings when they are follwed by a gerund or an infinitive.

forget
GERUND INFINITIVE

looks back in the past looks into the future

He'll never forget spending so much money on his

Don't forget to spend money on the tickets.
first computer.

go on
GERUND INFINITIVE

to continue with the same thing to change the activity

Go on reading the text. Go on to read the text.

mean
GERUND INFINITIVE

sth. has to be done to get a result intend to do sth.

You have forgotten your homework again. That I meant to phone your mother, but my mobile didn't
means phoning your mother. work.

regret
GERUND INFINITIVE

you did sth in the past and you are not happy about
to tell bad news and you are not happy about it
it

We regret to inform you that the flight has beeen

I regret being late for school.
delayed for another two hours.
remember
GERUND INFINITIVE

looks back in the past looks into the future

I remember switching off the lights when I went on Remember to switch off the lights when you go on
holiday. holiday.

stop
GERUND INFINITIVE

to stop with an activity to stop in order to do sth.

I stopped smoking. I stopped to smoke.

try
GERUND INFINITIVE

to test sth. to do sth. that is not easy

I tried taking an aspirin but it didn't help. Try to be quiet when you come home late.

The following words are a little more tricky.

like

I like reading books. = I like to read books.

There is normally no difference in meaning.

 Use the Gerund when like is used in the sense of 'enjoy'.

Example: I like riding my bike.
 Use the Infinitive when you do sth. in the sense of a habit.
Example: I like to do my homework in the afternoon. (I think, it is good to do my homework in
the afternoon).

Mind the following examples:

 I like watching films.

 I would like to watch the film.

be afraid

Use the Gerund when you worry about sth.

 I'm afraid of having an accident.

In other cases there is no difference in meaning whether we use Gerund or Infinitive.

 I'm afraid to go by bike on this road. = I'm afraid of going by bike on this road.

need

If we use a Gerund after need, then the sentcene has a passive meaning:

 The window needs cleaning.

used to

The form to be used to + Gerund means that the person is familiar with sth.

 He is used to smoking. (He still smokes.)

The form used to + Infinitive means that the person did sth. in the past.

 He used to smoke. (He does not smoke any more.)

Attention!

 He is used to smoke. (This sentence is wrong.)

Personal pronouns self/selves pronouns

I myself
you yourself
he himself
she herself
it itself
Personal pronouns self/selves pronouns
we ourselves
you yourselves
they themselves