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L8 Second Cond!

The document explains the Second Conditional in English, which is used to express hypothetical or imaginary situations in the present or future. It outlines the structure of the Second Conditional, including the use of past simple in the 'if' clause and modal verbs in the main clause, while also discussing politeness in questions using 'could'. Additionally, it compares the Second Conditional with Zero and First Conditionals, highlighting their differences in terms of real versus hypothetical situations.

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Veronica
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15 views9 pages

L8 Second Cond!

The document explains the Second Conditional in English, which is used to express hypothetical or imaginary situations in the present or future. It outlines the structure of the Second Conditional, including the use of past simple in the 'if' clause and modal verbs in the main clause, while also discussing politeness in questions using 'could'. Additionally, it compares the Second Conditional with Zero and First Conditionals, highlighting their differences in terms of real versus hypothetical situations.

Uploaded by

Veronica
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Second Condi onal:

Hypothe cal/imaginary situa ons in the present or future

In English, func on (what you are using a word/structure for)


is more important than form (if the word is in the past, for example)

One form can have many func ons!

For example, can is a modal verb used to talk about ability or possibility,
depending on the context.

I can play guitar. I can play guitar in my house.


(present ability) (present possibility)
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Another example with can:

The past form of can is could.

Can you help me? vs. Could you help me?

What’s the di erence between these two ques ons? The second ques on is more polite.
Is the second ques on in the past or the present? Both ques ons are in the present.

Could is more polite because it helps you ask the same ques on but in a
poten al, less direct way.
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In the second condi onal,
the past represents an imaginary situa on in the present/future
and
modal + in ni ve is the poten al/imaginary consequence.
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The Second Condi onal (Hypothe cal/imaginary situa ons)
If + past simple , modal + in ni ve without to

If people didn’t protest, we wouldn’t have many rights.


(but people protest and that’s how we got and get most of our rights)

The world could be a be er place if borders didn’t exist.


(but borders exist and they cause many, many problems)

If she lived in a smaller city, she might be happier.


(but she lives in a big city, so she isn’t very happy)

You’d improve faster if you prac ced more!


(but you’re lazy, so you’re improving slowly)

If aliens came, I’d ask them to take me with them.


(but aliens haven’t come yet and they probably won’t, so I’m stuck here on this planet)

NONE OF THESE SITUATIONS ARE REAL!


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Never use a modal verb (would, might, should) in the
if clause — except could!
If I would study, I would probably pass.
studied

It is possible to use could in the if clause


because it’s the past form of can

If you could speak perfect English, you wouldn’t have to take this class! 😝
I’d really appreciate it if you could help me.
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?
Using were
You can use were for all subjects (I/You/She/He/It/We/They).

Maybe it sounds strange to you now, but that’s the way we express the hypothe cal be in English.

You can also use was for she/he/it. It was considered informal in the past but it’s acceptable in most situa ons now.
If I were/was hungry, I’d eat something.
(but I’m not hungry, so I don’t want to eat)

If Julie were/was here, she’d know how to help us.


(but she isn’t here, so she can’t help us)

Would you date Peter if he weren’t/wasn’t married?


(but he’s married, so…hmm)

I’d go see my family and friends in the US if it weren’t/wasn’t so expensive to travel.


(but it’s very expensive right now)

If you were rich and famous, would you have the same friends?
(but you aren’t rich or famous)

If we were more compassionate, many of our social issues wouldn’t be so hard to solve.
(but we’re not all so compassionate and many social issues persist because of that)

If John and George were alive, perhaps The Beatles would reunite.
(but they are both dead so The Beatles can’t reunite…except through ar cial intelligence)
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We can use con nuous forms to talk about things in progress!
If + past con nuous , modal + be + -ing

If you weren’t studying English right now, what would you be doing?
We could be having a picnic if it weren’t/wasn’t raining.
If my internet wasn’t/weren’t working, I’d be having a panic a ack.

No ce that you can combine simple and con nuous tenses!

If I had the choice, I’d be living in a house by the sea.


If you were sleeping and someone called you, would you hear the phone?

Would you s ll be working so much if you had more money?


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Use If I were you, I’d…. to give advice to someone
If I were you, I’d call her to apologize.
I’d go to the doctor if I were you.

Use If I you were me, + ques on to ask for advice


If you were me, what would you do?
Would you go to the party if you were me?

Use If I were her/him/them, I’d…. to say


what you’d do/how you’d feel if you were in someone else’s situa on
I’d think about looking for a new job if I were him.
If I were Jenny, I’d de nitely accept the o er.

There are more combina ons of subject + were


that all relate to the idea of being another person
If she were him, she wouldn’t act that way.
We’d all be happier if she were the manager.
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Zero, First and Second Compared
Real Situa ons
Zero (If/When + present, present)
If you break my guitar, I break your ngers.
(fact, always true)

First (If/When + present simple, future)


If you break my guitar, I’ll break your ngers.
(threat, probable situa on in the future)

Hypothe cal Situa ons


Second (If + past simple/cont., modal + in ni ve/be + -ing)
If you broke my guitar, I’d break your ngers.
(imaginary situa on, it probably won’t happen)
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