146 ESSENTIAL

GRAMMAR REFERENCE
Exercise 1
Decide which six sentences are incorrect. Correct them.
1 If you want to get a good grade, youll have to work a lot
harder!
2 If hell find a job, he might move out.
3 If you wont have your passport or some other kind of
ID, theyll refuse to register you on the course.
4 They told us if he skips any more classes, theyre going
to throw him off the course.
5 Your students dont behave better if you dont set some
clear rules.
6 What you will do if you dont get offered a place on a
masters?
7 I wont can finish this essay by tomorrow unless you
give me some peace and quiet!
8 Youll fail the exam if you revise properly.
Zero conditionals
Use zero conditionals to talk about things that are
always (or generally) true. Both the if clause and the
result clause use present tenses: the present simple or
present continuous. When the if- clause comes rst, add
a comma after it.
If you arrive late, you have to sign in at the school
secretarys office.
The football match is always cancelled if it rains.
Other conditional sentences with present tenses
It is common to tell people what to do with if- clauses in
a present tense followed by imperatives, should or can.
If they cant help, come and have a chat with me, OK?
If you want to study in the States, you should do the TOEFL
exam before you apply for your course.
If you tell me the problem, I can probably help you.
Exercise 1
Complete the sentences with the pairs of verbs.
1 You can always my notes from the lecture
if you to.
2 If Im not very well, I can always
the occasional lecture.
3 If you the end-of-year exams, you have to
the whole year all over again!
4 In my opinion, you deserve to thrown out
of university if you in an exam.
5 You drinking coffee if youre
it difficult to get to sleep.
6 My personal tutor can quite strict if he
thinks youre not hard enough.
7 Revision can stressful if you
it till the last minute.
8 you keep your valuables safe if you
After, once and when
Use a present tense after after, once, when or as soon
as and other time phrases when you are referring to
a denite future event.
Ill tell him the news when he gets home.
Well start cooking as soon as the kids have got back
from school.
Where the future situation is only a possibility and
not a certainty, use if.
Give this letter to your parents if when you see them.
If When I pass all my exams, my Dads going to buy me
a bike.
Instead of if, we sometimes use as long as.
Ill help you study for your exams as long as you help me
improve my English.
Exercise 1
Choose the correct word.
1 Ill phone you when / if I cant come to the meeting.
2 Ill phone you when / if I get home.
3 Im going to have a holiday once / if my final exams
have finished. I deserve it!
4 Im going to bed as soon as / if I get to the hotel.
5 If youre strict with them, youll gain their respect
as soon as / as long as youre fair as well.
6 After I will finish / finish my master, Im going to do a
PhD.
7 Im probably going to go to Canada to study English,
before I will start / start university.
8 Im going to take a nice, long holiday once the course
finished / has finished.
First conditionals
Use rst conditionals to talk about things that are
likely to happen in the future. The if-clause talks
about a possible future situation. Use present tenses
in this clause.
The other part of the sentence talks about the future
result. Use will, be going to, and might in this clause.
If I fail the exam, Ill just re-take it in the autumn.
If Im feeling bad tomorrow, Im going to phone in sick.
If I get 6.5 in my IELTS exam, I might apply for a masters
in the UK.
Either part of the sentence can come rst. When the
if-clause comes rst, add a comma after it.
You wont gain the students respect if youre not strict.
If youre not strict, you wont gain the students respect.
Instead of if + negative, we use unless.
The college wont accept you for the course unless you
get 6.5 in your IELTS exam.
07 SCHOOL AND STUDYING
be + working
become + leave
borrow + need
be + cheat
fail + re-take
feeling + miss
make sure + share
should stop + finding
27969_Grammar_p136-155 pp3.indd 146 2/12/09 12:03:11 AM