CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

MEANING RESULT CLAUSE CONDITIONAL CLAUSE EXAMPLES

CONDITIONAL 0 Present Simple If + Present Simple Water boils if it reaches 100
Natural or Artificial Laws Unless + When the baby is thirsty, she cries

CONDITIONAL I (If the condition is fulfilled)

Sth will happen in the future WILL Well go to her office if she doesnt come soon
Sth is likely or able to happen in the future CAN If We can go to her office if she doesnt come soon
Sth is someway likely to happen in the fut. MAY + INFINITIVE + Present Simple She may fail English if she doesnt study harder
Sht is barely possible to happen in the fut MIGHT/COULD Unless She might/could win the lottery if she buys a ticket regularly
An order or command IMPERATIVE If she doesnt arrive in five minutes, give her a call.

CONDITIONAL II (The condition is not likely to occur)

The result clauses is a hypothesis, sth not probable WOULD If Theyd have a good holiday if they went to the mountains
COULD + INFINITIVE + Past Simple She could work as a top model if she were taller
MIGHT Unless Mary might win the prize if she trained daily.

TO BE: always were for all persons If she were rich, shed buy a Ferrari.
With I to give advice If I were you, I wouldnt do it.

CONDITIONAL III (The condition didnt occur)

The result was not possible. WOULD If Id have been more comfortable if I had worn my trainers
COULD + PERFECT INFINITIVE + Past Perfect We could have gone to the concert if we had bought the tickets
MIGHT Unless Jill might have come to the party if you had invited him

NOTES
1. I f we write the conditional clause first, we must use comma after it.

If we had known he was sick, wed have visited him in hospital

Wed have visited him in hospital if we had known he was sick

2. CONTRAST 1ST/2ND CONDITIONAL

1ST COND is more likely to happen: If I pass the exam, Ill do my degree in London
2nd COND is less likely to happen: If I passed the exam, Id do my degree in London (more theoretical, less real)

3. UNLESS: means IF NOT

Unless I study all the lesson, I wont go out= If I dont study all the lesson, I wont go out