Conditionals I, II, and III

(A Review)
 IF and THEN Clauses
• Conditional sentences have at least two
clauses: IF clauses and THEN clauses.
• Examples:
If I go into town tomorrow, then I will see a
movie.
If he spoke Chinese, then he would work as a
guide in China.
If they had been faster, then they would have
won the race.
 IF Clauses (the condition)
• IF clauses present the condition.

• Examples:
If I go into town tomorrow…
If he spoke Chinese…
If they had been faster…
 THEN Clauses (the results)
• THEN clauses present the results.

• Examples:
… then I will see a movie.
…. then he would work as a guide in China.
… then they would have won the race.
 IF and THEN Clauses
• The word “then” is optional, but the clause
is still the result of the condition. So it is a
“THEN” clause, without the word “then.”

• There are special rules for leaving out the

word “if”. We will learn them later.
 Remember:
• The four words that NEVER (well, almost
never) appear in the IF clause are:

will, won’t, would, wouldn’t

• Example:
If we will see it, we will be angry.
 Conditional I
(present/future – possible)
• When something is
possible now or in the
future

• Form:
If (present) then will V.

• Example:
If she studies, she will
pass the geography test. (It
is possible !!)
 Unless
• Unless = if not

• Example:
If we don’t finish soon, we will miss the train.
Unless we finish soon, we will miss the train.
 Temporals
• Temporals are time expressions.
(Examples: before, until, after, by the time, etc

• When they refer to the future, they are like

Conditional I: Temporal (present), will V.

• Examples:
Until he arrives, I will read a book.
They will make a cake before they go.
 Conditional II
(present/future – impossible)
The Great Wall of China
With permission from
www.adcsoft.com/bjigsawpictures.html
• When something is NOT
possible now, or in the
future.
• Form:
If (past) then would V.
• Example:
If he spoke Chinese, he
would work as a guide in
China. (Fact: He doesn’t
speak Chinese, so it’s
impossible.)
 Special Rules for Conditional II
• “To be” is always “were”
Example: If he were here, he would do it.
(Fact: He’s not here, so it’s impossible.)

• You can drop the “if” by moving the

“were” to the front.
Example: Were he here, he would do it.
 wish + (past)
• Unlike a hope (which is possible), a wish
usually will not come true. In general, you
wish for a miracle, something that is
impossible.

• Examples:
I wish I were in Costa Rica. (I’m not there.)
He wishes he spoke Chinese. (He doesn’t.)
 would rather
• “Would rather” is like Conditional II, wishing
for something that is probably impossible.

• Form: Subject 1 would rather subject 2 (past).

Example: I would rather he came right now.
(Fact: He probably won’t.)

• would rather = ‘d rather

Example: I’d rather he came right now.
 Conditional III
(past – impossible)
• “Making believe” about the past, assuming
something that wasn’t true

• Form:
If had V3rd, then would have V3rd.

• Example:
If we had studied, we would have passed the
exam. (Fact: We didn’t study and we didn’t pass
the exam.)
 Where does the “not” go?
• If the girl had not looked both ways when
she crossed the street, a car would have
hit her. (Fact: She did look both ways, so
a car did not hit her.)

• If the boys had practiced more, they

would not have lost the game. (Fact:
They did not practice enough, so they lost
the game.)
 Special Rules for Conditional III
• You can drop the “if” by moving the “had” to
the front.

• Example:
If he had been there, we would have done it.
Had he been there, we would have done it.

• Be careful !! Although you are starting with a

“little verb”, this is not a question !!
 Good Luck !!
Just remember to ask yourself:

1.Is the situation

possible or
impossible?
– Is the situation in the
past or in the
present/future?
 Remember !!
The four words that NEVER (well, almost
never) appear in the IF clause are:

will, won’t, would, wouldn’t

The End