Unit Grammar

Condit ionals 1: (zero, first, second)

CJIntroduction to conditional^1
Some sentences with the word /fare called conoit'onal sentences.
With every conditional sentence, there are two parts: a situation and tne result of tnat situation. It is tne
situation that starts with if.
There are different types of conditional sentence, depending on what the situation is.

.
Helpful hints
When we start the sentence with if, we separate the situation and the result with a comma.
/ If you join a gym, I'll join too.
When we start the sentence with the result, we don’t use a comma.
/ I'll join too if you join a gym.
w

(QZero conditional^)"
if+ present simple, present simpie

Use Example
General or scientific facts If people eat too much, they o^en get fat.

.Q First conditional^
if+ present simple, will + bare infinitive i
Use Example
Reai or likely situations in If you take these pills, you'll start to feel better very soon.
the present or future and
the'r results
4 jm
Cj Helpful h ints
We can also use other modals instead of will, depending on the meaning
/ If you get some rest, you might feel better tomorrow.
We can also use an imperative instead of will to give instructions.
/ If you don’t feel well, go home!

Q Second conditional^
if + past simple, would + bare mfin-tive

Use Example
Impossible or unlikely situations in the If my legs were longer, I would be a much taster runner!
present or future and their results
Helpful hints
We can also use the second conditional to give advice. We use the phrases If I were you ... or If I was you ... for
this. If I were you ... is more formal than If I was you ...
/ If I were you, I would eat less chocolate, (more formal)
/ If I was you, I'd eat less chocolate! (more informal)

118
 Conditionals 1: (zero, first, second) Un it 2 8

A Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the zero conditional.

1 If you ^ eat water>it boils

heat/w ater/it/boil
2 If you...............................................................
send / an e-mail / it / be / free
3 It......................................................................
be / dangerous / you / not / wear / a
seatbelt
4 If you...............................................................
have / an injection / it / not / usually
hurt
5 If you...............................................................
not / water / plants and flowers / they
die
6 If the sea........................................................
not / be / calm / not / be / safe / to swim

The words and phrases in bold in each sentence are wrong. Write the correct
word or phrase.

1 If we will go shopping tomorrow, I'll probably buy a new top. ...............

2 If Mum is tired tonight, I cook dinner. ......... .....
3 John will tell us if there will be any news. ...............
4 If I won’t get a good mark in the geography test, I'll be very annoyed! ...............
5 You are tired in the morning if you don’t go to bed soon. ...............
6 If you see Karen, do you ask her to call me? ...............
7 Does Frank come with us if we go to the beach at the weekend? ...............
8 If you need help, will tell me! ...............

C Complete using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1 If I ........................................ (do) well in the exam, my parents will buy me an MP3 player.
2 If my sister borrows my clothes again, I .........................................(scream)!
3 We’ll leave at six o’clock if the weather.........................................(be) bad.
4 They.........................................(not / mind) if we’re a bit late this afternoon.
5 Sarah will be very annoyed if Dave.........................................(not / call) her this evening.
6 Will you still go to the concert if the tickets.........................................(cost) 60 euros?
7 If Rania doesn't come to the party,.........................................(Greg / be) upset?
8 I'll be surprised if Doug and Dana.........................................(not / get) a new car soon.

119
 Unit 28 Grammar

~D~[ Circle the correct word or phrase.

1 If I win / won a million euros, I’d buy my mum and dad a new house.
2 If Steve paid more attention in class, he will / would learn more.
3 They’ll / They’d go on a cruise if they had enough money.
4 You’d feel a lot healthier if you don’t / didn’t eat so much fast food.
5 If I have / had a bike, it wouldn’t take me so long to get to school.
6 If you met Tom Hanks, what will / would you ask him?
7 Will / Would Bobby be upset if I didn’t invite him?
8 If I am / were you, I’d get a haircut!

Complete each second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence. Write no more than three words.

1 Sylvia doesn’t have enough money, so she can’t buy a new computer.
If Sylvia............................................................... enough money, she’d buy a new computer.
2 The twins don’t see their friends often because they’re very busy.
If the twins weren’t so busy, they............................................................... their friends more often.
3 I don’t live in a city, so there’s not much to do in the evening.
If I ............................................................... in a city, there would be lots to do in the evening.
4 Grandma won’t get a dog because she lives in a small flat.
If Grandma............................................................... in a small flat, she’d get a dog.
5 You use your mobile a lot, so you have large phone bills.
If you didn’t use your mobile so much, you...............................................................large phone bills.
6 I think you should tell your parents the truth.
If I ............................................................... you, I’d tell your parents the truth.

0 Choose the correct answer.

D e ar M ar sh a, Dear Yuri,
I ’m n ot su r e w h at to o. Millions of people are vegetarians and they're perfectly healthy. You have to be carefuI, thougl
I ’m thinking of ^ gome of ^ ^ ......................WPea^mS completely, and only ( s ) ...................... chocolate
a it ’s a bad And crisps, that would obviously be very bad for you! If people don’t eat properly, they
*d e a T h ey say t h at if I ( 4) ......................ill. It's that simple, if you eat lots of fruit and salad and beans, you
jy j .......................eat in g ( j j ......................get all the things you need to stay healthy. But —you're only years
m eat , my body won ^ ^ old. if ypU ( g ) ......................... at home with your parents — and you probably do — you’ll
get all th e my have to ask them what they think too. If your mum cooks for you, ( 7) it ..................... be
to stay^ difficult for her to make you special meals. If I were you, I ( s ) ......................think about
Th an k s this carefully and maybe wait until you’re a bit older before making such a big decision.
Yuri, age Marsha

1 A stop B stopped 5 A will B would

2 A give B gave 6 A live B will live
3 A will eat B ate 7 A will B would
4 A get B would get 8 A will B would
120
 Grammar
Condit ionals 2: (t hird)

r Third conditional
if + past perfect simple, would + have + past participle

Use Example
Unreal situations in the past and If the chemist had been open, I would have bought some aspirin.
their unreal past results ( = The chemist wasn't open, so I didn't buy any aspirin.)
If I hadn't listened to you, I would have cooked the chicken for too long.
[ = I listened to you, so I didn't cook the chicken for too long.)
if he had seen the doctor, he wouldn't have been ill for such a long Pme.
( = rie didn't see the doctor, so he was ill for a long time.)
If you hadn't eaten a giant pizza, you wouldn't have been sick!
( = You ate a giant pizza, so you were sick.)

4 Helpful hints
We can also use could and might instead of would, depending on the meaning.
/ If you had eaten a giant pizza, you might have been sick!
( = It's possible, but not certain, that you would have been sick.)
/ If Mary had told me she was coming, I could have cooked a nice meal.
( = I would have been able to cook a nice meal.)

• The third conditional is the only conditional that refers to the past.
/ If I had had a headache, I would have taken an aspirin. ( = in the past)
• We use past simple in the second cond.tonal, but that dees not refer to tne oast.
/ If I had a headache, I would take an aspirin. [ = now or generally)
• For more information on the second conditional, see Un 128.
mmmmm

121
 Unit 29 Grammar

Circle the correct answer.

If Charles had had enough Paul wouldn’t have made a

money, he’d have bought the CD. mistake if he’d listened to Lee.

1 Did Charles have enough money? Yes / No 7 Did Paul make a mistake? Yes / No
2 Did he buy the CD? Yes / No 8 Did Paul listen to Lee? Yes / No

Cilia would have called Andrea if Jo wouldn’t have gone to the

she’d taken her mobile with her. party if she hadn’t been invited.

3 Did Cilia call Andrea? Yes / No 9 Did Jo go to the party? Yes / No

4 Did she take her mobile with her? Yes / No 10 Was Jo invited to the party? Yes / No

Tom would have forgotten his

Mf we hadn’t been late, we’d have
keys if Lisa hadn’t reminded him.
seen the start of the film.

5 Were they late? ^ Yes / No 11 Did Tom forget his keys? Yes / No
6 Did they see the start of the film? Yes / No 12 Did Lisa remind him about his keys? Yes / No

B ; Complete using the correct form of the words in brackets.

1 If you.................................................................(tell) me you were going to the beach, I’d have

come with you.
2 If Dan had missed the plane, he.................................................................(be) very annoyed.
3 I’d have got you a present if I .................................................................(know) it was your birthday.
4 We.................................................................(not / get) lost if we’d taken a map with us.
5 If the car.................................................................(not / break down), I wouldn't have been late.
6 If you.................................................................(not / help) me, I wouldn’t have finished in time.
7 If Baz.................................................................(not / show) you what to do, what
.....................................................................(you / do)?

C Complete each second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence. Write between two and five words.

1 It wasn’t cold, so we didn’t light a fire.

If i t .................................................................cold, we'd have lit a fire.
2 John didn't come, so we didn’t do any painting.
If John................................................................., we'd have done some painting.
3 Claire didn't buy any clothes because she didn’t see anything she liked.
Claire.................................................................some clothes if she'd seen something she liked.
4 The audience laughed because the joke was very funny.
If the joke.................................................................very funny, the audience wouldn’t have laughed.
5 We decided to leave because it was really noisy.
We.................................................................to leave if it hadn’t been really noisy.
122
 Conditionals 2: (third) j'nit 29

D Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the
verbs in the box. You may have to use some negative forms.

break • fall over • look • pick up • reply • see • stood

1 If Kevin hadn't just got a text message, he................................................................at his mobile phone.
2 If he hadn't looked at his mobile, he................................................................the banana skin.
3 If someone................................................................the banana skin earlier, it wouldn't have been there.
4 If Kevin had seen the banana skin, he................................................................on it.
5 If he hadn’t stood on it, he..................................................................
6 If he hadn't fallen over, he................................................................his mobile.
7 If he hadn't broken his mobile, he................................................................to the text message.

Read the story and complete the sentences.

ida loved to keep fit. Whenever she could, she She loved the Fitmaster 5000 so much, though, that
went to the gym after work. But one evening, from that day on, she only exercised at home. She
Vida got home late. ‘It’s too late to go to the didn’t go to the gym any more. She spent hours every
gym now,’ she said to herself. Til just watch TV evening on her exercise bike, and every evening she
instead.’ went faster and faster One evening, she was going
She made herself a nice, fresh, healthy salad and sat so fast that the exercise bike began to move forwards.
down in front of the TV. Sudaenly, she saw something Before she knew what had happened, she - and the
on TV that caught her attention. It was an advert for bike - fell down the stairs. All sixteen of them. Right to
an exercise bike callea the Fitmaster 5000. the bottom. Ouch!
That looks fantastic!’ thought Vida. ‘I think I’ll buy The Fitmaster 5000 was broken, and so was Vida’s
that!’ leg.
She phoned the number and ordered the machine. It ‘I think that’s enough exercise for a while,’ thought
came the next day. Vida, as she lay in her hospital bed. ‘And that’s
It was much bigger than it looked on TV, and the only enough watching adverts on TV too.’
place Vida could put it was at the top of the stairs.

1 If Vida had got home earlier,.................. 5 She wouldn't have put it at the top of the
stairs........................................................
2 If she'd gone to the gym that evening, 6 She'd have continued going to the gym ...

3 If she hadn't watched TV,....................... 7 If she hadn't gone so fast,.......................

4 She wouldn't have bought the Fitmaster 8 If she hadn't fallen down the stairs,........
5000 ......................................................
123