Lesson 6 – Conditionals

Lesson 6. Conditionals

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
• Define what conditional sentences are.
• Determine the structure and functions of each conditional.
• Compare commonly confused tenses.
• Provide examples for each type of conditionals.
• Compare and contrast all types of conditionals.
• Recognize the importance of learning about the conditionals.

Learning Objectives 2
Lesson 5. Conditionals
A conditional sentence is a sentence that gives a condition (e.g., If it snows) and the outcome of the
condition occurring (e.g., the game will be cancelled). Sometimes we call them 'if clauses'. They describe
the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have happened but didn't
(in the past) . They are made using different English verb tenses.
Zero Second
Type 0 Conditionals Type 2 Conditionals
If you add two and two, you get four. If I won the lottery, I would buy a yacht.

First Third
Type 1 Conditionals Type 3 Conditionals
If I had studied harder, I would have
If it rains later, we will stay home.
passed the test.

Conditional Sentences 3
Lesson 6. Conditionals
A zero-conditional sentence expresses a general fact (i.e., a situation where one thing always causes
another). (With a zero-conditional sentence, the message is expressed as a fact. That doesn't mean it's
true of course.)

Structure: With a zero-conditional sentence, the simple present tense is used in both clauses. Also, the
words if and when are interchangeable.

“if” + Zero Conditional (Type 0)

[Simple
Present] If you blink, you lose. [Simple Present]

A FACT this happens.

condition main clause
If it happens, then… [some action]

Zero Conditionals 4
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Some Real-Life Examples of Zero Conditional Sentences
If you rest, you rust. (Actress Helen Hayes)
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you are right. (Business
magnate Henry Ford)
You do ill if you praise, but you do worse if you censure, what you do not
understand. (Polymath Leonardo da Vinci)
More Examples:
If people eat too much, they get fat.
If you touch a fire, you get burned.
People die if they don't eat.
You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen.
Snakes bite if they are scared
If babies are hungry, they cry.

Zero Conditionals 5
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Rewrite the following in the correct structure of zero conditionals.
1. (I / wake up late / I / be late for work) 11. (I / feel good the next day / I / go to bed early)
2. (my husband / cook / he / burn the food) 12. (lots of people / come / Jenny / have a party)
3. (Julie / not wear a hat / she / get sunstroke) 13. (she / buy expensive clothes / she / go
4. (children / not eat well / they / not be healthy) shopping)
5. (you / mix water and electricity / you / get a 14. (my daughter / pass her exams / she / work
shock) hard)
6. (people / eat / too many sweets / they / get 15. (David / be sick / he / drink milk)
fat) 16. (the river / freeze / it / be very cold)
7. (you / smoke / you / get yellow fingers 17. (I / like to visit the museums / I / be in a new
8. (children / play outside / they / not get city)
overweight) 18. (I / cycle to work / the weather / be fine)
9. (you / heat ice / it / melt) 19. (my flatmate / clean it really well / she / clean
10. (I / speak to John / he / get annoyed) the house)
20. (everybody / be grumpy / it / rain a lot)

Exercise 1 6
Lesson 6. Conditionals
A first-conditional sentence states the result of a hypothetical, but possible, future event (e.g., If you
rest) occurring. It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know
what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true.

Structure: With a first-conditional sentence, the simple present tense is used in the if-clause, and the
simple future tense used in the main clause.

“if” +
[Simple
First Conditional (Type 1)
Present] “will” +[Verb]
If he finds the gold, he will celebrate

POSIBBLE FUTURE this will happen.

condition EVENT main clause
If it happens, then… [some action]

First Conditionals 7
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Some Real-Life Examples of First Conditional Sentences
If one swain [young lover] scorns you, you will soon find another. (Roman poet
Virgil)
If I like a food, even if it's bad for me, I will eat it. (Reality TV star Kim Kardashian)

More Examples:
If it rains, I won't go to the park.
If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.
If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.
She'll be late if the train is delayed.
She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.
If I see her, I'll tell her.

First Conditionals 8
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs of first conditionals.
1. If I _____ (go) out tonight, I _____ (go) to the 11. I _____ (come) early if you _____ (want).
cinema. 12. They _____ (go) to the party if they _____ (be)
2. If you _____ (get) back late, I_____ (be) angry. invited.
3. If we _____ (not / see) each other tomorrow, we 13. She_____ (stay) in London if she _____ (get) a job.
_____ (see) each other next week. 14. He _____ (not / get) a better job if he _____ (not /
4. If he _____ (come), I _____ (be) surprised. pass) that exam.
5. If we _____ (wait) here, we _____ (be) late. 15. I _____ (buy) a new dress if I _____ (have) enough
6. If we _____ (go) on holiday this summer, we _____ money.
(go) to Spain. 16. She _____ (cook) dinner if you _____ (go) to the
7. If the weather _____ (not / improve), we _____ (not supermarket.
/ have) a picnic. 17. They _____ (go) on holiday if they _____ (have)
8. If I _____ (not / go) to bed early, I _____ (be) tired time.
tomorrow. 18. We _____ (be) late if we _____ (not / hurry).
9. If we _____ (eat) all this cake, we _____ (feel) sick. 19. She _____ (take) a taxi if it _____ (rain).
10. If you _____ (not / want) to go out, I _____ (cook) 20. I _____ (not / go) if you _____ (not / come) with
dinner at home. me.

Exercise 2 9
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
For example:
(zero conditional):
Conditional describes If you sit in the sun, you get burned.
(here I'm talking about every time a
1 a particular situation person sits in the sun - the burning is a
Type natural consequence of the sitting)

Type describes what But

0 happens in (first conditional):
If you sit in the sun, you'll get burned.
Conditional general. (here I'm talking about what will happen
today, another day might be different)

Comparison of Zero and First Conditionals 10

Lesson 6. Conditionals
Make random if-clauses in zero and first conditionals based on the following
topics below:

routine people weekends

evening family hobby

Application 11
Lesson 6. Conditionals
A second-conditional sentence states the result of an unlikely event occurring (e.g., If the boat sank) or
an untruth being truth (e.g., If they were on time). Nowadays, it's safe to say that the simple past tense is
used in the if-clause, but in fact it's the past subjunctive, which is identical to the simple past tense apart
from when I and he/she/it are used with the verb to be (e.g., If I were millionaire, If she were to try).

Structure: With a second-conditional sentence, the simple past tense is used in the if-clause,
and would (rarely should or could) with the base form of a verb is used in the main clause.

“if” + [Simple Second Conditional (Type 2)

Past] “would” +[Verb]
past If she knew the answer, she would pass.
subjunctive
this would
UNLIKELY EVENT
happen.
condition If this happened, main clause
then…
[some action]

Second Conditionals 12
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Functions of Type 2 Conditionals
1. We can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true.
Examples:
If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.
(I probably won't win the lottery)
If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.
She would travel all over the world if she were rich.
She would pass the exam if she ever studied.
(She never studies, so this won't happen)

2. We can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true.
Examples:
If I had his number, I would call him.
(I don't have his number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).
If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

Second Conditionals 13
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs of second conditionals.
1. If I _____ (be) you, I _____ (get) a new job. 11. She _____ (be) happier if she _____ (have) more
2. If he _____ (be) younger, he _____ (travel) more. friends.
3. If we _____ (not/be) friends, I _____ (be) angry with 12. We _____ (buy) a house if we _____ (decide) to stay
you. here.
4. If I _____ (have) enough money, I _____ (buy) a big 13. They _____ (have) more money if they _____ (not /
house. buy) so many clothes.
5. If she _____ (not/be) always so late, she _____ (be) 14. We _____ (come) to dinner if we _____ (have) time.
promoted. 15. She _____ (call) him if she _____ (know) his number.
6. If we _____ (win) the lottery, we _____ (travel) the 16. They _____ (go) to Spain on holiday if they
world. _______________ (like) hot weather.
7. If you _____ (have) a better job, we _____ (be) able to 17. She _____ (pass) the exam if she _____ (study) more.
buy a new car 18. I _____ (marry) someone famous if I _____ (be) a
8. If I _____ (speak) perfect English, I _____ (have) a good movie star.
job. 19. We never _____ (be) late again if we _____ (buy) a
9. If we _____ (live) in Mexico, I _____ (speak) Spanish. new car.
10. If she _____ (pass) the exam, she _____ (be) able to 20. You _____ (lose) weight if you _____ (eat) less.
enter university

Exercise 3 14
Lesson 6. Conditionals
For example:
(first conditional):
Conditional
talks about things If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam.
that I don't think will (I think it's possible she will study harder
2 and so she'll pass)
Type
really happen
But
Type describes things (second conditional):
1 that I think are If she studied harder, she would pass the
Conditional
likely to happen exam.
in the future. (I think that she won't study harder, or it's
very unlikely, and so she won't pass)

Comparison of First and Second Conditionals 15

Lesson 6. Conditionals
Make random if-clauses in second conditionals based on the following topics
below:

technology romance economy

nature fashion arts

Application 16
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Third-conditional sentences express how the situation would be different if the past had been different.
It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of
this situation.

Structure: With a third-conditional sentence, the past perfect tense is used in the if-clause, and would
have (rarely could have) with a past participle is used in the main clause.

“if” + [Past Third Conditional (Type 3 ) “would have”

Perfect] +[Past Participle]
If I had seen the camera, I would have smiled.

this would have

UNFULFILLED EVENT
happened.
condition If this had main clause
happened, then…
[some action]

Third Conditionals 17
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Functions of Type 3 Conditionals
1. to express the past consequence of an unrealistic action or situation in the past.
2. to express regrets – describing things we are sorry happened or didn’t happen.
Some Real-Life Examples of Third Conditional Sentences
If my lawyer and I had communicated properly in January 1958, this whole history
would have been entirely different.
(Inventor of the laser Gordon Gould, who fought unsuccessfully to patent it)
If I had learned education, I would not have had time to learn anything else.
(Business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt)
If I had known how hard it would be to do something new in the payments industry,
I would never have started PayPal.
(Co-founder of PayPal Peter Thiel)

Third Conditionals 18
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs of third conditionals.
1. If you _____(not / be) late, we _____(not / miss) the 11. He _____(be) happier if he _____(stay) at home.
bus. 12. She _____(pass) the exam if she _____(study)
2. If she _____(study), she _____(pass) the exam. harder.
3. If we _____(arrive) earlier, we _____(see) John. 13. We _____(not / get) married if we _____(not / go)
4. If they _____(go) to bed early, they _____(not / wake) to the same university.
up late. 14. If he _____(take) the job, he _____(not / go)
5. If he _____(become) a musician, he _____(record) a travelling.
CD. 15. She _____(not / meet) him if she _____(not / come)
6. If she _____(go) to art school, she _____(become) a to London.
painter. 16. He _____(take) a taxi if he _____(have) enough
7. If I _____(be) born in a different country, I _____ money.
(learn) to speak a different language. 17. I _____(call) you if I _____(not / forget) my phone.
8. If she _____(go) to university, she _____(study) French. 18. We _____(come) if we _____(be) invited.
9. If we _____(not / go) to the party, we _____(not 19. She _____(not / do) it if she _____(know) you were
/meet) them. ill.
10. They _____(be) late if they _____(not / take) a taxi. 20. He _____(be) on time if he _____(leave) earlier.

Exercise 4 19
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Make random if-clauses in third conditionals based on the following topics
below:

friendship time health

family traveling education

Application 20
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Structure
Type Function
If clauses Main Clause
real condition +
zero conditional present simple present simple
inevitable result
possible condition +
first conditional present simple will + base verb
probable result
hypothetical
second conditional past simple would + base verb condition + possible
result
expired past
would have + past
third conditional past perfect condition + possible
participle
past result

Conditionals Table 21
Lesson 6. Conditionals
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs of conditionals.
1. If you ------- (follow) the doctor's advice, you ------- (make) a complete recovery by this time.
2. When people ------- (smoke) cigarettes, their health ------- (suffer).
3. Do you think there ------- (be) less conflict in the world if all people ---- (spoke) the same
language?
4. People ------- (take) any notice of the warning if there ------- (be) any scientific proof.
5. Do you think you ------- (be) happier now if you ------- (marry) someone else?
6. If you ------- (leave) your office early, you ------- (be) with us now.
7. Frank is not going to the graduation ceremony tomorrow because he broke his leg skydiving last
week. But Frank ------- (go) to the graduation ceremony if he ------- (break) his leg last week.
8. ------- (take) a couple of extra traditional Turkish gifts with you in case you ------- (meet) any other
members of the Scholz family during your Aunt’s funeral.
9. If you ------- (give) me your tape recorder and a cassette in plenty of time, then, of course, I -------
(record) the lecture for you on the day of your Aunt’s funeral.
10. If I ------- (know) you would be on your own all weekend, I ------- (invite) you over to our house.

Exercise 4 22
Lesson 6. Conditionals
There are some fairly common hiccups related to tense worth covering and also a point on using commas.

(Point 1) Using a comma with an if-clause.

When the if-clause precedes the main clause, use a comma after the if-clause.
If I were white, I could capture the world. (African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge, 1922-65)
If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research. (Playwright Wilson
Mizner)
If the main clause precedes the if-clause, don't use a comma before the if-clause (unless you think it helps
the reader).
Dreams grow if you grow. (Author Zig Ziglar)
There are consequences if you act militarily, and there are big consequences if you don't act. (US
Diplomat Dennis Ross)

Here's an example that sums everything up:

There are economic risks if we leave. If we remain, there are economic risks. (Politician Michael Gove)

Why Should I Care About Conditionals? 23

Lesson 6. Conditionals
(Issue 2) Using the wrong tense in one of your clauses.
Tense errors can creep in. Below are the most common ones with each structure.
Zero-conditional Structure. To express something as a fact, writers should use the zero-conditional structure
(if + simple present tense, simple present tense). However, writers sometimes use the first-conditional
structure (if + simple present tense, simple future tense), which states the result of a possible future event
occurring.
If you sleep, you will dream.
When dogs die, they will go to doggy heaven.
(In both examples, the will should be deleted.)
With this mistake, the sentence structure is grammatically sound. It's the wrong sentence structure though,
which affects the intended meaning.
First-conditional Structure. With the first-conditional structure, writers sometimes use the simple future
tense (instead of the simple present tense) in the if-clause.
If you will get some sleep, you will feel better.
You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want. (Author
Zig Ziglar)

Why Should I Care About Conditionals? 24

Lesson 6. Conditionals
(In both examples, the will should probably be deleted.)
These haven't been marked as wrong because this structure is sometimes used to emphasize that the future
action must occur. (And, that's a good get-out if you're ever picked up for this mistake.)
Second-conditional Structure. With the second-conditional structure, writers sometimes use the simple
present tense (instead of the simple past tense) in the if-clause.
If you become an insomniac, you would understand.
(If you became an insomniac would be correct.)
The next most common mistake is to use will (instead of would) in the main clause.
If you became an insomniac, you will understand.
(You would understand would be correct.)
Third-conditional Structure. With the third-conditional structure, writers sometimes use would have
(instead of the past perfect tense) in the if-clause.
If you would have slept last night, you would have beaten your record.
(If you had slept last night would be correct.)
• When the if-clause is before the main clause, use a comma.
Key Points • Do not use a comma when the if-clause is after the main clause.

Why Should I Care About Conditionals? 25

The End