CONDITIONALS: REAL CONDITIONALS

USE:
To talk about real possibilities in "general time" and uncertain but possible events in the future.

FORM:
The condition clause begins with IF/IF... NOT (or sometimes UNLESS).The verb is usually in the present.

The result clause usually contains Present Tense verbs (to talk about possibilities in "general time") or Future Tense
verbs and Modals such as CAN, MAY, MUST, or SHOULD (to talk about uncertain events in the future).

You can begin a sentence with either a condition or a result clause.

POSSIBILITIES IN GENERAL TIME

(Verb in result clause is in the Present.)

EXAMPLES:

CONDITION CLAUSE RESULT CLAUSE

Unless you give
plants enough water, they die."
If it isn't cold enough, it doesn't snow."

RESULT CLAUSE CONDITION CLAUSE

"It's time to eat unless you are not hungry."
"Talk to your plants if you want them to grow."

UNCERTAIN EVENTS IN THE FUTURE

(The result clause has Future verb or Modal.)

EXAMPLES:

CONDITION CLAUSE RESULT CLAUSE

" If it rains, I'll take an umbrella."
" If she doesn't study, she may fail the exam."

RESULT CLAUSE CONDITION CLAUSE

" They will come to the party if they find a baby-sitter."
" I'm going to buy a new dress if I get paid today."
" He won't wash the car unless you pay him."

CONDITIONALS: UNREAL CONDITIONALS

USE:
To talk about unreal, impossible, or very improbable hypotheses in the present and future.

The condition clause begins with IF/IF... NOT (or sometimes UNLESS).

The verb can take the Past of "BE", the Past Simple/Past Progressive (to talk about a hypothetical fact), or the Modal
COULD (to talk about a hypothetical ability).

NOTE: If we use the verb "BE" as the main verb, or in the past progressive form, we use WERE instead of WAS.

The verb in the RESULT CLAUSE always has a Modal, usually WOULD/'D (to express a certainty), MIGHT (to express a
possibility), or COULD (to express ability).

We can begin a sentence with either a condition or a result clause.

CONDITION CLAUSE RESULT CLAUSE

"If I had a new car,
"If she weren't so tired,
"If he asked him nicely,
"If we could meet tomorrow,
"If I had enough money,
I'd be very happy."
she'd go to the party."
he might agree."
we could finish the project."
I wouldn't be working."
RESULT CLAUSE CONDITION CLAUSE
"I might pass English if I studied more."
"They'd tell me if they knew."
"He'd answer the phone if he were at home."
"We might go swimming if we weren't studying."

PAST PROGRESSIVE

USE:
We use Past Progressive to talk about a continuous action or event which was happening at a particular time in the
past.

EXAMPLES:
"Weren't you studying with Linda last night?"
"No, I wasn't. I was shopping for Joe's birthday present."

"What were you doing when he phoned?"

"I was sleeping."

STATEMENTS

FORM:

AFFIRMATIVE:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + VERB + ing...]

I was waiting for the bus when it started to rain.

We were waiting for the bus when it started to rain.

NEGATIVE:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + NOT + VERB + ing...]

She was not (wasn't) waiting for the bus.

They were not (weren't) waiting for the bus.

YES/NO QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

FORM:
[WAS/WERE + SUBJECT + VERB+ing...?]

Was she waiting for the train?

Were you waiting for the train?

[YES/NO + SUBJECT + BE (NOT)]

Yes, I was.
No, it wasn't.

Yes, they were.

No, you weren't.

PAST PROGRESSIVE vs. PAST SIMPLE

USE:
We use the Past Simple to talk about a completed action in the past. We use the Past Progressive to talk about an action that continued over a period of
time in the past.

We can also use the Past Simple and the Past Progressive together in the same sentence, to show that one short action or even t happened during a
longer action or event. If we mention the shorter action first, we usually join the two parts of the sentence together with WHILE.
EXAMPLES:
"The phone rang while she was taking a shower."
"The car broke down while Bill was driving home."If we mention the longer action first, we usually join the two parts of the sentence together with
'WHEN'.

EXAMPLES:
"She was taking a shower when the phone rang."
"Bill was driving home when the car broke down."

PAST PERFECT

USE:
To emphasize the difference in time between two states, actions, or events in the past which are mentioned in the
same sentence. We generally use the Past Perfect Tense when we want to emphasize that one event or state happened
before another.

EXAMPLE:
"I was really surprised when I met Fred at Jill's party last week. I hadn't seen him for five years, and he looked really
different. I asked him what he'd been doing since we left school, but he didn't tell me. Then somebody told me he'd
been in prison..."
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

USE:
To emphasize that one event happened before another (connected by conjunctions like WHEN/BEFORE) or in reported
speech, when the "reporting verb" is in the Past Tense and the "original" statement or idea was in the Past Simple,
Present Perfect, or Past Perfect.

FORM:
AFFIRMATIVE

[SUBJECT + HAD (+Adverb) + Past Participle[V3]...]

HAD NOT/HADN'T
EXAMPLES:
"She had just arrived when he came in."
"We had already eaten by the time they arrived."
"The opera had just begun when we arrived."
"I had never been in love until I met you!"
REPORTED SPEECH

[PAST TENSE + (THAT) + PAST PERFECT]

EXAMPLES:
"I thought (that) you'd already seen this."
"She said (that) she'd never met me before."
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

USE:
To talk about continuous actions or states which continued up to a point in the past.

FORM:
[SUBJECT + HAD/HAD NOT + BEEN + VERB + ING...](HADN'T)

EXAMPLES:
"I'd been waiting for an hour when the train pulled in."
"He hadn't been studying much until he failed his first exam."
"They'd been waiting for two hours when the bus finally arrived."

MORE CONDITIONALS

USE:
There are Conditionals which refer to conditions which existed or could have existed in the past. These are Past
Conditionals and Mixed Time Conditionals. Past Conditionals are used to describe conditions that will never be fulfilled
because the time in which they would have occurred has ended. Mixed Time Conditionals are used to talk about the
present results of past conditions.
FORM:
The condition clause begins with IF/IF... NOT (or sometimes UNLESS). The verb in the condition clause is either Past
Perfect or Past Perfect Progressive:
[IF + SUBJECT + HAD (NOT) + PAST PARTICIPLE [V3]+ (VERB + ING)...]
The verb in the result (main) clause is in the Past Conditional:
[SUBJECT + WOULD/COULD/MIGHT + (NOT) HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE [V3]+ (VERB + ING)...]
EXAMPLES:
"If I had known you were sick, I would have made you some soup."
"If Laura had been taller, she could have been a model."
"If I hadn't broken my leg last week, I would be dancing in the competition tonight."
"If she had dressed warmly lastnight, she wouldn't be sick today."
 REPORTED SPEECH

USE:
To report what somebody says or thinks without using their exact words.
FORM:
The main clause contains the "reporting or question verb":
REPORTING VERBS: SAY, TELL, PROMISE, KNOW, BELIEVE, THINK, CLAIM, etc.
QUESTION VERBS: ASK, WONDER, WANT/WOULD LIKE TO KNOW
The noun clause contains the statement or question which is being reported.
EXAMPLES:
"I asked Smith why he'd gone there last night."
"He told me that he needed money."
"He said he'd never had any luck."
"He wanted to know if I would help him."
STATEMENTS and QUESTIONS

For statements, we use the conjunction THAT, which is omitted in informal English.
[MAIN CLAUSE + (THAT) + NOUN CLAUSE]
EXAMPLES:
"Mr. Jones says (that) he'll call later."
"She said (that) she was leaving."
For questions, we use IF (Yes/No Questions) or WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY, WHERE, HOW, HOW MUCH, or HOW MANY
(Wh-Questions). Notice that the verb in the noun clause takes the normal affirmative or negative form and not the
question form.
We often use "double questions" with ASK, TELL, or KNOW to make a polite request for information.
"May I ask what your name is?" is politer than "What's your name?"
[MAIN CLAUSE + IF or WH-WORD + NOUN CLAUSE]
EXAMPLES:
"He's asking you if you like chocolate."
"Please ask him who that boy is."
TIME ASPECTS

When the reporting verb (SAY, THINK, ASK, etc.) is in the Past Tense, the "original" statement/idea or question may be
modified.
VERB IN REPORTED NOUN CLAUSE
When the reporting verb in the main clause is in the Past Tense,the verb in the noun clause is usually also in the Past
Tense, even when theoriginal statement or idea was in the Present Tense.
 DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH

Be Present Be Past
Present Simple Past Simple
Present Progressive Past Progressive
Past Simple Past Perfect
Present/Past Perfect Past Perfect
Modals Past Modals

EXAMPLES:
Mary: "I want to go alone."
Mary said she wanted to go alone.
Tony: "I'll pay you when I see you."
Tony said he'd pay me when he saw me.
PRONOUNS:
Pronouns must also be changed to fit the reported statement.
EXAMPLES:
Tom:"I bought my girlfriend a pin for her birthday."
Tom said that he'd bought his girlfriend a pin for her birthday.
Alice: "Can I borrow your car?"
Alice asked me if she could borrow my car.
TIME ADVERBIALS

When the reporting verb is in the Past Tense, "time adverbials" may also change.
Here are some possible changes:

DIRECT INDIRECT/REPORTED
Now Then/At that time
Today That day/The same day
Tomorrow The next/following day
Next week, etc. The next/following week, etc.
Yesterday The day before
Last week, etc. The week before
This That
These Those
Here There

CAUSATIVES and PERMISSIVES

USE:
To describe when one person allows, asks, obliges or wants another person to perform an action.

EXAMPLES:
"My father never let me drive the car when I was a teenager. He had my brother drive me everywhere."

"Gee, the car's filthy; I must get it washed.

Janice! I want you to wash the car for me."
"Get Frank to do it!"
ACTIVE CAUSATIVES and PERMISSIVES

USE:
To describe when one person allows another person to perform an action (LET) or when one person obliges or persuades another person to perform an
action (HAVE, MAKE, or GET).

FORM:
We generally use the following verbs in Active Causatives (in all forms including Modals):
LET
HAVE
MAKE
GET
(Also PAY, BRIBE, PERSUADE, FORCE, OBLIGE, ASK, BEG, and EXPECT.)

AFFIRMATIVE

[SUBJECT + LET, HAVE, MAKE + Object + VERB (base)...]

EXAMPLES:
"I'll have her call home."
"You're making him get angry."
"She lets them stay up late."

[SUBJECT + GET + Object + INFINITIVE...]

EXAMPLES:
"We'll get him to finish it on time."
"She got him to wash the floor."

NEGATIVE and QUESTIONS

We can use LET, HAVE, MAKE, and GET in their normal negative and question forms.

EXAMPLES:
"The boss didn't let me go home early."
"They are not having their house painted this year."
"He couldn't get them to clean their room."

"When will you let me use your computer?"

"Can't you get him to apologize?"
"Where are you getting him to take you tonight?"

PASSIVE CAUSATIVES and PERMISSIVES

USE:
The passive form is used with Causatives as with other verbs to emphasize the receiver of the action. We use it when we want something done to
someone or something.

FORM:
We generally use the following verbs in PASSIVE CAUSATIVES:
WANT
WOULD LIKE/'D LIKE
(More formal than WANT)
HAVE
GET (Less formal than HAVE) The verb which expresses the action is in the past participle [V3] form.

If we want to mention the agent (the person who performs the action), we use the preposition BY after the verb.

NOTE: WANT does not usually take perfect or progressive forms.

FORM:

AFFIRMATIVE

[SUBJECT + CAUSATIVE + Object + PAST PARTICIPLE [V3]]

EXAMPLES:
"I want the dishes washed!"
"You're getting your car fixed by the best mechanic in town!"

NEGATIVE and QUESTIONS

We can use WANT, WOULD LIKE, HAVE, and GET in their normal negative and question forms.

EXAMPLES:
"I don't want the house painted blue!"
"I won't have my hair cut today."
"She didn't get the computer fixed last week."
"How would you like your steak cooked, madam?"