If we go If you see . . . , etc.

Should we take the W e'll get there more quickly «

bus or a taxi? if we take a taxi.

I f can be at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle:

. -
I f at the beginning
' 1 ■'I S mm ■

I f we take the bus, it will be cheaper.

I f you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the train.
I f you’re hungry, have som ething to eat.
I f the phone rings, can you answer it, please?

i f in the m iddle
It will be cheaper if we take the bus.
You’ll miss the train if you don’t hurry.
I’m going to the concert if I can get a ticket.
Is it OK if I use your phone?

In conversation, we often use the if-part of the sentence alone:

■ “Are you going to the concert?” “Yes, i f I can get a tick et.”
■ i
I f you see A nn tom o rro w . . . , etc.
msmm After if, we use the present (not will). We say i f you see . . . (not if you will see):
■ I f you see Ann tomorrow, can you ask her to call me?
■ I f Pm late tonight, don’t wait for me. (not if Iwill be)
■ W hat should we do i f it rains? (not if it will rain)
■ I f I d o n ’t feel well tomorrow, I’ll stay hom e.

I f and w h en
lllli I f I go out = it is possible that I will go out, but I’m not sure:
■ A: Are you going out later?
B: Maybe. I f I go out, I’ll close the windows.
W hen I go out = I’m going out (for sure):

111 ■ A: Are you going out later?

B: Yes, I am. W hen I go out, I’ll close the windows.
Com pare w h en and if:
I ■ W hen I get hom e tonight, I’m going to take a shower.
m I f I’m late tonight, don’t w ait for me. (not W hen I’m late)
■ W e’re going to play basketball i f it doesn’t rain, (not w hen it doesn’t rain)

w he n —►Unit 99 if I had / if w e w en t , etc. —►Unit 101

 ercises U N I T

i 1 Write sentences beginning with if. Choose from the boxes.

you don’t-hurry we can have lunch now

you pass the driving test you can have them
you fail the driving test I can lend you some
you don’t want this magazine + you’ll get your license
you want those pictures you’ll be late
you’re busy now I’ll throw it away
you’re hungry we can talk later
you need money you can take it again

1. I f you don t hurry, you II be late.

2. If you
J Jpass
T
3. If
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

0.2 Which is right?

1. If Fm /T i l b e- late tonight, don’t wait for me. (Fm is right)
2. W ill you call m e if I give / I’ll give you my phone num ber?
3. If there is / will be a fire, the alarm will ring.
4 . If I don’t see you tom orrow m orning, I call / I’ll call you in the afternoon.
5. I’m / I’ll be surprised if M artin and Jane get / will get m arried.
6. Do you go / W ill you go to the party if they invite / they’ll invite you?

0.3 Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.

1. I’m going to the concert if / can get a ticket._________________________________
2. If you don’t hurry, you'll miss the train.______________________________________
3. I don’t want to disturb you i f ________________________________________________
4 . If you go to bed early to n ig h t,______________________________________________
5. Turn the television off i f _______________ ____________________________________
6. Tina w on’t pass her driving test i f ___________________________________________
7. If I have tim e to m o rrow ,___________________________________________________
8. We can go to the beach tom orrow i f _________________________________________
9. I’ll be surprised i f __________________________________________________________

0.4 Write if or when.

1. I f . I’m late tonight, don’t wait for me.
2. I’m going shopping n o w ._______________ I come back, we can have lunch.
3. I’m thinking of going to see T im ._______________I go, will you come w ith me?
4 . _______________ you don’t want to go out tonight, we can stay at hom e.
5. Is it O K _______________ I close the window?
6. Joh n is still in high schoo l._______________ he finishes, he wants to go to college.
7. Do you w ant to go on a picnic to m o rro w _______________the w eather is good?
8. W e’re going to Mexico City next week. W e’re going to look for a h o te l _________
we get there. I don’t know what w e’ll d o _______________we don’t find a room.
If I had . . . If we w e n t .. ., etc.

Dan likes fast cars, but he doesn’t have one. If I had the
He doesn’t have enough money. mon e y , . . .

I f he had the money, he w o u ld buy a fast car.

Usually had is past, but in this sentence had is

not past. I f he had the m oney = if he had the
m oney now (but he doesn’t have it).

I h a d /k n e w /liv e d /w e n t (etc.) . . . , I buy . ..

w o u ld (n ’t)
you d id n ’t have / d id n ’t k n ow (etc.) . . . , you be . . .
If
it w ere . . ., it have . . .
cou ld (n ’t)
they, etc. co u ld . . . , they, etc. go . . . , etc-1

You can say:

■ I f he had the money, he w ould buy a car.
or He would buy a car i f he had the money.
Fd / she’d / th ey’d, etc. = I w o u ld / she w o u ld / they w ou ld, etc.:
■ I don’t know the answer. I f I k n ew the answer, I’d tell you.
■ It’s raining, so w e’re not going out. W e’d get w et i f we w en t out.
■ Jane lives in a city. She likes cities. She w o u ld n ’t be happy i f she lived in the country.
■ I f you d id n ’t have a job, w hat w o u ld you do? (but you have a job)
■ I’m sorry I can’t help you. I’d help you i f I could, (but I can't)
■ i f we had a car, we cou ld travel m ore, (but we don't have a car, so we can't travel much)

I f (I) w as/w ere . . . I wouldn't ao out if I were

You can say i f I/h e / s h e /it was or i f I/h e /s h e /i t were:
■ It’s not a very nice place. I w ouldn’t go there i f I
w ere you. (or . . . i f I was you)
■ It would be nice i f th e w eather was better.
(or . . . i f the w eather w ere better)
■ W hat w ould Tom do i f h e w ere here?
(or . . . i f h e was here)

Com pare:

i f I have / i f it is, etc. i f I had / i f it was, etc.

■ I want to go and see Helen. ■ I w ant to go and see Helen.
I f I have time, I w ill go today. I f I had time, I w ou ld go today.
(= maybe I’ll have time, so maybe (= I don’t have time today, so I will
I’ll go) not go)
■ I like that jacket. ■ I like that jacket, but it’s very expensive
I’ll buy it i f it isn ’t too expensive. I’d buy it i f it w asn ’t so expensive.
(= maybe it will not be too expensive) (= it is expensive, so I’m not going
to buy it)
■ I’ll help you i f I can. (= maybe ■ I’d h elp you i f I could, but I can’t.
I can help)

if w e go / if I have / if I can, etc. —►Unit 100

xercises
‘ 1 Complete the sentences.
U N I T
101
1. I don’t know the answer. If I k n e w the answer, I’d tell you.
2. I have a car. I couldn’t travel very m uch if I didn't h a ve a car.
3. I don’t want to go out. If I _________________________ to go out, I’d go.
4. We don’t have a key. If w e _________________________ a key, we could get into the house.
5. I’m not hungry. I w ould have som ething to eat if I _________________________ hungry.
6 . Sue enjoys her work. She wouldn’t do it if s h e ____ . it.
7. He can’t speak any foreign languages. If h e _______ speak a foreign
language, maybe he would get a better job.
You don’t try hard enough. If y o u _______________ . harder, you w ould have
m ore success.
9. I have a lot to do today. If I _____________________ . so m uch to do, we could go out.

.2 Put the verb in the correct form.

1. If he h a d the money, he would buy a fast car. (he / have)
2. Jane likes living in a city. Sh e w ouldn t b e happy if she lived in the country,
(she / not / be)
3. If I w anted to learn Italian,______________________ to Italy. (I / go)
4. I haven’t told H elen w hat happened. She’d be angry i f ______________________
(she / know)
5. I f _______________________ a map, I could show you where I live, (we / have)
6. W hat w ould you do i f ___ . a lot of money? (you / win)
7. It’s not a very good h o te l.. . there if I were you. (I / not / stay)
8. If_ closer to M iami, we would go there m ore often, (we / live)
9. I’m sorry you have to go n o w .__________________ nice if you had m ore time, (it / be)
10. I’m not going to take the job. I’d take it i f _____________ . better, (the salary / be)
11. I don’t know anything about cars. If my car broke d o w n ,. . w hat to
do. (I / not / know)
12. If you could change one thing in the world, w h a t______
(you / change)

.3 Complete the sentences. Use the following (with the verb in the correct form):

we (have) a bigger house it (be) a little cheaper I (watch) it

we (buy) a bigger house every day (be) the same I (be) bored
we (have) some pictures on the wall the air (be) cleaner

1. I’d buy that jacket if i t w a s a little c h e a p e r

2. If there was a good movie on TV to n ig h t,.
3. This room w ould be nicer i f __
4. If there wasn’t so m uch traffic,
5. Life would be boring i f ______
6. If I had nothing to do,
7. We could invite all our friends to stay if _
If we had m ore m oney ,_______________

1.4 Complete the sentences. Use your own ideas.

1. I’d be happier if / h a d less w o rk
2. If I could go anywhere in the world, _
3. I w ouldn’t be very happy i f _________
4. I’d b u y if _
5. If I saw an accident in the stre e t,____
6. The world w ould be a better place if _

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