GRAMMAR FILE UNIT 4 2ND EDITION B2

REFERENCE third conditional + modals

We use the third conditional if + past perfect + might/mightn’t,
could/couldn’t + have + past participle for unreal present
conditionals situations caused by an unreal past situation.
If it had snowed, it might have caused terrible traffic problems.
zero conditional We can also use the continuous tense in the if-clause or in the
We use the zero conditional if/when + present simple + main clause.
present simple to talk about things that are generally true or
If you’d been paying attention, you would have seen the red
consequences of a situation or an action.
traffic light.
When I’m in the city, I usually travel by tube.
If I don’t have fresh air, I feel tired.
alternative conditional forms
first conditional
unless
We use the first conditional if/when + present simple + will/may/
can/could/should + infinitive for: We generally use unless in first and second conditional sentences
instead of if not.
• describing possible future situations.
She won’t enjoy her new school unless she makes some friends.
If she doesn’t like the town, she’ll move. I wouldn’t live in the city unless I had a good job.
• making suggestions and giving advice.
If you’re in town tomorrow, you could come and see me. when/if
If you don’t like the apartment block, you shouldn’t live there. We use when/if to talk about possible future actions.
• making threats. When we stay in the mountains, we often go walking.
If you don’t pack your bags now, I’ll go without you. I’ll visit you if I have time. (perhaps I’ll have time)
• making promises.
in case + verb
If you buy that country cottage, I’ll visit you in the summer.
We use in case + present simple to talk about things that we do
We can use an imperative instead of will in the main clause. so that we are prepared for a future situation.
If you get lost, call me. I’ll take some food in case we get hungry.
The if-clause can come at the beginning of the sentence or after We use in case + past simple to talk about the past.
the main clause. If it comes after the main clause, you don’t need
We took some water in case we got thirsty.
a comma.
If we had a bigger flat, you could stay with us. provided that/as long as/on condition that
You could stay with us if we had a bigger flat.
We generally use provided that/as long as/on condition that in
the first conditional to talk about things that are or will only be
second conditional possible if something else happens or is done.
We use the second conditional if + past simple + would/could/
I’ll meet you in the town square on condition that we try out
might + infinitive for:
that new café.
• unlikely or unreal situations in the present or future.
If I had more money, I’d move to the country. I wish/if only
If the town square was bigger, we could have more concerts. We use I wish/If only + past simple to talk about a present
• giving advice. situation that we are not happy with.
If I were you, I’d avoid the tourist spots in summer. I wish we lived nearer the city centre.
If only we knew more people here.
third conditional We use I wish/If only + could for wishes about a present or
We use the third conditional if + past perfect + would/wouldn’t future ability.
have + past participle for unreal situations in the past. If only I could sing.
If they’d stayed in the country, they wouldn’t have found work. We use I wish/If only + would to complain about a present
situation or annoying habit.
If only they wouldn’t make so much noise.
We use I wish/if only + past perfect to talk about a past situation
that we regret but can’t change.
I wish we hadn’t bought the farm. It’s been such hard work.

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 2ND EDITION B2

PRACTICE alternative conditional forms

3 Match the first part of the sentences (1–6) with the second
conditionals parts (A–F).
1 You can come home by bus on condition that
1 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs
in brackets. 2 I wish we’d
3 Our lives will improve when
1 If he (need) to talk to somebody, tell him to
call me. 4 The park café will stay open as long as
2 We wouldn’t have arrived late, if there (not 5 I’ll think of somewhere indoors we can meet in case
be) a huge traffic jam. 6 If only the residents
3 If she (not find out) about the power
station, she wouldn’t have been upset. A seen you at the concert in the town square.

4 I wish I (can/save) enough money to rent a B had agreed to the new shopping centre!
flat with my friends. C the new leisure complex is finished.
5 If there (not be) such amenities, the teens D the weather gets worse.
would have nowhere to go. E the local residents don’t mind.
6 We (might/take) the train if we’d known F you don’t leave the party too late.
how slow the bus is.
4 Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.
2 Complete the article with the correct form of these verbs. 1 I’ll come with you provided that / unless you let me pay.

can choose find have leave might know 2 You can wait here as long as you didn’t mind / don’t mind
move not work out being on your own.
3 If only everyone take / took their rubbish home, the park
wouldn’t look such a mess.
Worried about moving? 4 I wish they hadn’t pulled down / didn’t pull down the old
cinema.
Don’t be! 5 Unless he asks about it, I’ll tell / won’t tell him what
happened.
‘Would you be happy if we 1 in with 6 I wish we could / had been able to stay here forever.
Granddad?’ That was the first time I heard about my
parents’ plans to take over Granddad’s farm. Of course, 5 Rewrite the sentences using the words given. Use between
two and five words.
if it had been my decision I 2 to stay in
1 I didn’t know you lived near here so I didn’t invite you
the city with my friends. Mum tried to reassure me.
round.
‘When we move, you 3 more space to do
INVITED
all the things you like such as horse-riding’, she said.
If I’d known you lived here, I round.
I wasn’t convinced. If I’d spent more time at the farm
2 I regret renting such a grotty flat.
I4 more about country life but we’d only
WISH
ever visited once a year. ‘If it 5 , we’ll move
I such a grotty flat.
back’, Dad said. That was two years ago and we’re still
3 The train may be busy so book a seat first.
here. Would I go back to the city if I 6 ?
CASE
No way. Admittedly the first few months were strange,
Book a seat busy.
but if you 7 new friends, it doesn’t take long
4 It’s a good thing you gave me directions or I wouldn’t have
to feel at home. In fact, when I 8 school,
found your house.
I plan to stay on the farm full-time. It’s just great.
YOU
I wouldn’t have found your house me
directions.
5 If the residents don’t complain about the new plans,
the town will be ruined.
UNLESS
The town will be ruined about the new
plans.

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