Real co nd itio n a ls g iU B M J g H a

In real conditionals we usually use a present tense verb in the if-clause to talk about the future:
If you leave now, you'll be able to catch the 5 o'clock train, (or If you're leaving now ...)
However, in conversation we can use be going to instead of a present tense verb:
If I'm going to catch the train, I'll have to leave now.
We'll need more chairs if we're going to invite so many people to the performance.
When we make offers, and give instructions or advice we can use an imperative in the main clause:
G Take another sandwich if you're hungry.
O If you have a mobile phone, check that it is turned off.

We can use if-clauses with a present tense verb to introduce certain conditions under which
something is true. In this case, 'if' has a meaning similar to 'when':
The video pauses if you click on this button.
O If age-related changes are taken into account, the conclusion remains the same.

We can talk about possible future events with a present perfect verb in the if-clause and a future form
(will, present continuous, or be going to) in the main clause. Sometimes present perfect or present
simple can be used with a similar meaning:
I'// lend you War and Peace if I've finished it before you goon holiday, (or ... if I finish ...)
If you haven't paid the bill by Friday, we're taking the carpets back, (or If you don't pay ...)
However, to focus on the future consequences of a past event, we use the present perfect. Compare:
If I've failed my exam again, I'm giving up the course, (suggests I have already taken the
exam; I don't know the result) and
If I fail my exam again, I’m giving up the course. (I may or may not have taken the exam)

U n rea l con d itionals

In unreal conditionals we can use if ...were + to-infinitive rather than if + past simple to talk about
imaginary future situations, particularly when it is unlikely that the situation in the if-clause will
happen (see also Unit 14):
If the technology were to become available, we would be able to expand the business.
However, note that we don't usually use this pattern with verbs such as belong, doubt, enjoy, know,
like, remember, and understand when they describe a state:
If I knew they were honest, I'd gladly lend them the money, (not If I were to know ...)

We sometimes use this pattern to make a suggestion sound more polite:

O Would it be too early for you if we were to meet at 5:30?

We use if it was not for + noun phrase (or more formally if it were not for + noun phrase) to say
that one situation is dependent on another situation or on a person (see also Unit 85A). When we talk
about the past we can also use if it had not been for + noun phrase:
If it wasn't / weren't for Nina, the conference wouldn't be going ahead.
If it hadn't been for Dad, I wouldn't have gone to college, (or If it wasn't / weren't for ...)
In formal language we can also use Were it not for ... and Had it not been for ... (see Unit 84A):
Were it not for Nina ...
Had it not been for Dad...
We can use but for + noun with a similar meaning, particularly in formal contexts:
The village school would have been closed years ago but for the determination of teachers
and parents to keep it open. (= ... if it hadn't been for the determination ...)
Exercises

••
Complete these sentences with an imperative (1-3) or an if-clause (4-6). 0 1
1 There have been a lot of thefts from cars in the city centre. If you leave your car there,
make sure (^ ’5 lode:e<i, / don’t Lectve any valuables In it .
2 If you have any more problems with the computer,
3 If you see Ned today, ...................................
4 .......................................................................................................................................................................................
keep well away from them.
5 .................................... _ _ ..............................................................................
don't hesitate to get in touch with me again.
6 .............................................................................................................................................................................................
get off at the stop near the library.

rtr » Complete the sentences using the verb pairs from the box. Use the present simple or present
perfect in the if-clause, and give alternatives. Notice any differences in meaning.

not fill in - need not h elp -g o leave-m eet

not arrive - give study - know break - have to

1 If you Ha-ve stu d ie d / stu d y Macbeth, you’ll know the scene with the witches.
2 If you home before I get there, I'll you at the airport.
3 If you ..................... the window, you’ll pay for it.
4 If the taxi by 10 o'clock, I'll you a lift to the station.
5 If you an application form, you will to do so before you can
be considered for the job.
6 If the antibiotics by the end of the week, I'll back to the
doctor.

^££2^ If necessary, correct the italicised part of the sentence using a past simple form of the same
verb.Q
1 I'd sell the house immediately if it were to belong to me.
2 If they were to hold an election now, the Democrats would undoubtedly win.
3 I'd go back to the restaurant if I were to like sushi more.
4 If I were to doubt his honesty, I wouldn’t employ him.
5 There would be no cinema in the town if the Odeon were to close.
6 If I were to understand Chinese, I'd do the translation myself.

Complete these rewritten sentences with similar meanings. O

1 The weather was terrible. Otherwise, we would have gone walkingthis weekend. If it had ...
not been j^ e terriJble weaikier, we would Have gone walking tkics weekend.
2 His happiness would have been complete except for his anxiety over Carla. If it were

3 The strike would probably still be going on if the government hadn't intervened. Were it

4 The fight could have got out of hand if the police hadn't arrived. Had it

5 Everything was quiet except for the sound of birds singing. But fo r

6 There would have been far more wars in the last 50 years without the United Nations. If it was

7 We would have been here two hours ago except for the roadworks. If it had

167
 Unit
84 If 2
When the first verb in a conditional if-clause is should, were, or had we
can leave out if and put the verb at the start of the clause (see Units 99
and 100 for more on inversion). We do this particularly in formal or literary English, and only in
hypothetical conditionals (a type of unreal conditional which answers the question ‘What would
happen i f ...? '):
Should any of this cost you anything, send me the bill. (= If any of this should cost ...)
It would be embarrassing, were she to find out the truth. (= ... if she were to find o u t...)
Had they not rushed Jo to hospital, she would have died. (= If they hadn't rushed Jo ...)

We don't usually use if ... will in conditional clauses. However, we can use if ... will -
f t when we talk about a result of something in the main clause. Compare:
Open a window if it will help you to sleep, (or ... if it helps you to sleep; ‘Helping you to
sleep' is the result of opening the window) and
I will be angry if it turns out that you are wrong. (n o t ... if it will turn o u t ...; ‘Turning out that
you are wrong' is not the result of being angry)
  in requests or with the meaning ‘if you are willing to' (or if ... would to be more polite):
If you w ill / would take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, we can begin the meeting.
  in real conditionals when we want to show that we disapprove of something. In this case, w ill is
stressed in speech (see also Unit 16B):
Q a: I'm tired. b: Well, if you w ill go to bed so late, I'm not surprised.

Note that we can use if ... won't when we talk about a refusal to do something:
Q There's no point in trying to teach the class if they w o n't pay attention.
In a real conditional sentence, we use if ... happen to, if ... should, or
if ... should happen to to talk about something which may be possible,
but is not very likely. If ... happen to is most common in spoken English:
If you happen to be in our area, drop in and see us. (or If you should [happen to] be ...)
Note that we don't usually use this pattern in unreal conditionals talking about states or events in the
if-clause which the speaker perceives as highly unlikely or impossible:
O If the North Sea froze in winter, you could walk from London to Oslo. (but probably not If the
North Sea happened to freeze / should (happen to) freeze in w inte r ...)

In comparison clauses we can use as if followed by a noun phrase, -ing clause, past participle (-ed)
clause, or to-infinitive to introduce a comparison with a situation described in the main clause. We do
this to give an explanation or to say that something appears to be the case but is not:
Q Magnus walked in as if nothing had happened.
Wm His hands made a circular motion, as if steering a bus through a sharp bend.
O When he caught the ball, Lee fell to the floor as if hit by a bullet.
O As if to convince herself that Luis was really there, she gently touched his cheek.

Note that we can use as though instead of as if, and in informal speech some people use like with the
same meaning:
■
. - '..:'XSS-^ • ■:
•-■'•' .« ii

O The crowd reacted as though they were watching a boxing match, (or ... as if ...)
Q He walked into the room like nothing had happened, (or ... as if ...)
Exercises

••
Rewrite these sentences with similar meanings. Begin with the word given,
1 Consult your doctor again if the symptoms remain 72 hours after starting the course of
medicine. Sh ould the- s yn ptoros rem ain 7Z hours <fcfter starting the cou rs e of ....
rneAicinzy your doctor again.
2 You would know what you have to do for homework, if you had not been absent from school on
Friday. Had....................................................................................................................................................................................

3 Clare would have been able to stay with her friends if they were still living in Brussels. W ere...

4 The factory would not have had to shut down if the workers were prepared to accept a wage cut.
W ere.................................................................................................................................................................................................
5 We shall have to reduce the number of employees if the financial performance of the company
doesn't improve in the near future. Should... ............................................................................................................

6 I might have considered taking the job if the salary had been higher. Ha d...

If necessary, correct the italicised parts of these sentences.

1 If I will press this button, will it start to record?
2 You’re welcome to borrow my old bike, if you think it will be of any use to you.
3 If he won't resign, the Prime Minister should sack him.
4 If the disease will be untreated, it can lead to brain damage.
5 If you'll tell me where the vacuum cleaner is, I'll do some cleaning.
6 If you'll complain about me, I'll get into trouble with my teacher.
7 If it’ll save money, I'm willing to go by public transport.

If possible, rewrite the italicised parts of these sentences with happen to. If it is unlikely, write
X after the sentence.
1 If I see Georgia when I'm in Rome, I'll send her your regards.

2 If a UFO landed in the centre o f New York, there would be mass panic.

3 The plan for a new airport to be built outside London is bad news if you live nearby.

4 If I was the President, I would order our nuclear weapons to be destroyed.

5 If you are in the south o f Spain next week, there is a good chance of seeing a total eclipse of the
sun.

< ! i i l Complete the sentences using your own words or the notes if you prefer.

(agree - everything Julia said) (I—say - shedwtg)- (it - reverse - wall)

(try - imagine - contained) (overcome - great weariness)

1 My father raised his eyebrows as if I hcut s a id something shocking.

2 He folded his arms on the table and laid his head on them, as i f ...
3 She stared hard at the parcel as if ...
4 He nodded his head slowly as i f ...
5 The back of the car looked as i f ...

169
Unit
85 If I were you imagine he were to win
In unreal conditional sentences we can use were after any subject Reminder -* M13-M17
in the if-clause, including singular first and third person subjects
(e.g. I / she / he / it). This use of were is sometimes called the past subjunctive, and is generally
preferred only in formal contexts. Note that although the verb has a past form, reference is to the
imagined present or future:
O If your mother were here, I’m sure she wouldn't let you eat all those chocolates.
O My job would not exist if it were not for government funding.
Was can be used instead of were with the same meaning (‘If your mother was here etc.).
However, we prefer were rather than was when we give advice with If I were you
If I were you, I'd take it back to the shop. It's got a hole in it. (ratherthan If I was you ...)

Were is used in this way in other patterns when we talk about imaginary situations -

(i) when we use were + subject + to-infinitive or were + subject as a more formal alternative to if +
subject + was / were (see also Unit 84A):
O Were the election to be held today, the Liberals would win easily, (or If the election was /
were held today ...)
Were I not in my seventies and rather unfit, I might consider taking up squash, (or If I wasn't
/ weren't in my seventies and rather u n fit...)

(ii) after wish:

I enjoy my job enormously, but I wish it were closer to home, (or ... I wish it was ...)
Of course I'm pleased that Jan has been given the award. I only wish he weren't so boastful
about it. (or ... I only wish he w as n't...)
(iii) after if only when we express our regret that a situation isn't different:
‘If your job is so bad, why don't you leave?' 7/on/y it were that simple.' (or If only it was ...)
I'd really like to do accounting. If only I weren't so poor at maths, (or If only I w a sn 't...)

(iv) after would ('d) rather and would ('d) sooner when we talk about preferences:
I feel embarrassed about what happened and would rather the event were forgotten.
( o r ... was forgotten.)
‘I've arranged a meeting for the end of July.' Y d sooner it were earlier, if possible, (or ... it was
earlier.)
(v) in sentences or clauses beginning with suppose, supposing and imagine:
Q Suppose I were to lower the price by £100. Would you consider buying the car then?
(orSuppose I was to lo w e r...)
I know it looks rather dirty now, but imagine the house were (to be) repainted. It would look
a lot more attractive, (or ... imagine the house was (to be) repainted.)

And in comparisons we can use were -

(vi) after as if and as though (see Unit 84D) and even if:
I remember stepping off the boat in New York as if it were yesterday.
Despite losing the election, she continues to act as though she were prime minister.
It's too late to start the work this year even if it were possible to find the money for it.
Exercises
Match an item from (i) with an ending from (ii) to form a sentence. Begin Were ... (not).

(i) (0
1 ... found guilty of lib e l... a the glass would certainly break
2 ... government to increase university fees ... b you would be horrified
3 ... anyone to lean against the window ... c I would gladly accept your invitation
4 ... not already busy in A ug ust... d there would be an outcry from students
5 ... to see the conditions in which the refugees e the newspaper would-fac-e huge legal cost;
are living ...
1 +e Were It to be found. guilty o f lib e l, the ...n^sj>a$>er.would-...fa^ ^ ....

m i Expand the notes to write a sentence to go before each question below. Use Suppose,
Supposing, or Imagine, followed by a pronoun, noun or noun phrase and then were.
1 (miss / last tra in ) Supposing we were to miss....the la s t tra m How would we get home?
2 (inherit / million dollars).......................................................................................................................................................
How would it change your life?
3 (p arents/tell you / emigrating to Canada) .......................................................................................................
How do you think you would react?
4 (Spain / win / World C u p ).....................................................................................................................................................
How would you celebrate?
5 (population of Britain / all Buddhist)..............................................................................................................................
How would its society be different?

Complete the sentences with either as if or even if followed by an appropriate pronoun and
then were. Q )
1 Muller spoke slowly o^> I f it., were a great physical effort.
2 Every day Mrs Demir would walk around the park............................................ snowing.
3 She knew she wouldn't be able to eat rabbit meat starving.
4 Theo completely ignored me not standing next to him.
5 He picked Natasha up .................................................... no heavier than a two-year-old.
6 I don't think I would have got the jo b ................................................ better qualified.
7 When Martina saw that I was stuck she laughed out loud a joke.
8 I wouldn't accept the job ...................................................... to offer it to me.

Complete the sentences using one of the phrases in (i) with expanded notes from (ii). Q Q Q
(i) (ii)
4f 4t were not for if I were you forgotten ... classmates going ... friends
wish he were if only it were not so c ritic al... employees
'd rather it were 'd sooner she were long nights ... winter as easy ... that
breakfast before ... leave

1 I would be happy to live in the north of Sweden I f ...it were not for the Long nujkits in
winter
2 I'm not happy about Jess going to Thailand alone. I ...............................................................................................
3 a : If you're unhappy with your new car, why don't you ask for your money back?
b : W ell,......................................................................................................................................... .....................................
4 I know you haven't got much time, b ut.......................................................................................................................
5 Wearing odd shoes to school was embarrassing and I .....................................................................................
6 I'm very fond of Paul, but I ..................................................................................................................................................

171
Unit
86 If ... not and unless; if and whether; etc.
If ... no t and unless
Unless is used in conditional sentences with the meaning ‘except if:
You can't travel on this train unless you have a reservation.
With unless we use present tenses when we talk about the future:
Unless it rains, I'll pick you up at six. (not Unless it will rain ...)

In real conditional sentences, we can often use either unless or if ... not with a similar meaning:
O Unless the theatre is able to raise £100,000, it will have to close, [or If the theatre isn't able
to ...; implies ‘it will have to close only if it can't raise the money')
However, we use if ... not but not unless -
0 when we say in the main clause that an event or action in the if-clause is unexpected:
I’ll be amazed if Christie doesn't win.
usually in questions:
O If you don't pass the test, what will you do?
when the ‘only if' implication does not apply:
If it wasn't the best performance of Hamlet I've seen, it was certainly the strangest.

We usually use if ... not rather than unless in unreal conditional sentences:
If I weren't so tired, I'd give you a hand.
However, unless can be used in unreal conditional sentences when the main clause is negative:
She wouldn't have gone to university unless her parents had insisted.

If and w hether
We can use if or whether to say that two possibilities have been talked or thought about, or to say
that people are not sure about something:
They couldn't decide if / whether it was worth resitting the exam.
O Do you know if / whether Ben's at home?
Whether can usually be followed immediately by or not. Compare:
I didn't know if Aya was coming or not. (n o t ... if or not Aya was coming.) and
I didn't know whether or not Aya was coming, (or ... whether Tom was coming or n o t ...)

We use whether rather than if -

0 after a preposition (although if is sometimes used informally) and before a to-infinitive:
We argued about whether butter or margarine was better for you. (informally ... if ...)
I couldn't decide whether to buy apples or bananas,
in the pattern noun / adjective + as to whether to mean ‘about’ or ‘concerning':
There was some disagreement as to whether he was eligible to play for France.

Also: conflict, confusion, debate, discussion, doubt, question, speculation, uncertainty;

concerned, indifferent, uncertain, undecided, unsure

and we prefer whether rather than if -

after the verbs advise, choose, consider, depend on, discuss, talk about, and think about:
You should consider whether the car you are interested in is good value.
in a clause acting as a subject or com plem ent:
Whether the minister will quit over the issue remains to be seen.
The first issue is whether he knew he was committing a crime.
Exercises
Match the sentence halves and write a new sentence with the same meaning, beginning each
one with Unless ... . (Q|
1 We'll never get to the meeting ... a ... or the farmers will lose their crops.
2 Alternative sources of funding must be b if-the tram-deesfYb4eave with in five-minutes.
found ... c I’m sure I'll be able to find my way there,
3 If the roads haven't changed in that part of d or the research will not be able to continue.
town ... e I think I'll buy that painting.
4 The weather must start improving soon ... f if you have been unemployed for six months.
5 If it isn't ridiculously expensive ...
6 You are only entitled to state b enefit...
1+ b Unless the tram l e a v e s m i n u t e s > w e ll never get to the meeting,

If necessary, correct the italicised phrase using if ... not. Q

1 Unless she had gone to university, she would have gone into the army, i f she h ad n ’t gone
2 Unless the infection is treated urgently, there is a real danger that she will die.
3 Unless he was so clumsy, he'd be the best person to do the work.
4 You won't be allowed into the country unlessyou have a visa.
5 It'll be surprising unless Anya passes her piano exam.
6 Unlessyou get a loan from the bank, how will you pay for the house?
7 They'll go on strike unless they get a pay rise.
8 Where will you stay unless Louise is at home?
9 The police can't prosecute me unless they can prove I intended to steal the ring.
10 She'd be a really good teacher un/ess s/7e was so disorganised.

Write whether or if / whether (if both are possible) in these sentences. Q Q Q |

1 I was wondering you'd had your exam results yet.
2 She was undecided as to to fly or go by train.
3 Police have refused to confirm or not they have arrested anyone for the theft.
4 It is unclear the new regulations will affect all buildings or just new ones.
5 a : H o w m uch w ill the laptop c o st?
b : That depends on .......................... I get one with a 15 or 17-inch screen.
6 Danny said that he was leaving home, but I didn't know to believe him.
7 Have you any idea Steve will be at the meeting?
8 Can you remember the door was open or closed when you got to the house?
9 There was considerable debate as to chess was a game or a sport.
10 I don't know Andrea's going to wait for us or not.
11 The government is considering to hold an enquiry into the accident.
12 Everyone in the village was very friendly. It didn't matter you'd lived there for a
short or a long time.