Introduction

English has become an international language, and almost

everybody knows at least some words, but most people know it well. It is the
language of internet, technology, business, etc. If you want to travel, one of the
essential things is to know the language of the country you are going to, but even
if you don't, there's no reason to worry, because you know English for sure, and
that will do the job for you.
I personally love English because of the way it sounds, every word is
so soft, and easy to pronounce. Also, the grammar is very interesting, and is not
hard to learn. For example, one of the most interesting things in grammar, for me,
are conditional sentences, because they are used all the time, in writing, chatting,
talking, etc. This is why I chose this subject.

Sentences
In the field of linguistics, a sentence is an expression in natural
language. It is often defined as a grammatical unit consisting of one and more
words that bear minimal syntactic relation to the words that precede or follow it. A
sentence can include words grouped meaningfully to express a statement,
question, exclamation, request, command or suggestion.
Conditional sentences express a condition in the present, future or
past. These are complex sentences, usually connected by the conjunction if.
There are three kinds of conditional sentences: real, imaginary and unreal. Real
Conditional describes real-life situations. Imaginary expresses what we imagine, or
wish in the present and future, and unreal Conditional describes unreal, imaginary
situations, because they refer to the past. Although various conditional forms might
seem quite abstract at first, they are actually some of the most useful structures in
English and are commonly included in daily conversations. Conditional sentences
consist of two parts: the if-clause and the main clause. For example, in the
sentence ''If it rains, I shall stay at home.'', 'If it rains' is the if-clause, and 'I shall
stay at home' is the main clause.

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 Type 1 conditional sentences(real)

In this type of conditional sentences, the verb in the if-clause is in the

present tense; the verb in the main clause is in the future simple. It doesn't matter
which of the clauses comes first.
~If he runs he'll get there in time.
The cat will scratch you if you pull her tail.

They are based on fact in real time. In these sentences, the conditional
clauses represent 'open' conditions; that is, conditions that may or may not be
fulfilled. We make such statements when the action or event mentioned in the
conditional clause is being actively considered, or is under discussion, or appears
likely to happen. Such statements can even be comments on decisions already
taken.
Conditions of this sort are sometimes labelled 'probable' but it is important
to note that the probability of the condition being fulfilled often exists only in the
mind of the speaker. If, for example, it seems likely that someone s going to do
something foolish or dangerous, we give a warning :
~If you touch that plate, you'll burn your hand.

Variations of Type 1
a) If we should miss the 10 o'clock train, we shan't get there till after
lunch.
The introduction of should (sometimes stressed) in the conditional clause
expresses doubt or disbelief, and suggests that something may happen by
chance, but is unlikely. It is possible to substitute by any chance for should without
changing the meaning:
If by any chance we miss the 10 o'clock train, we shan't get there till after
lunch.
We may call this a condition of remote possibility, and this variation can be used in

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any conditional clause of this first type. Note that only should( never 'would') is
used in this way.

b) If you will reserve seats, we shall be sure of a comfortable journey.

In the above sentence, will in the conditional clause is not an auxiliary indicating
future; it is a modal verb, and introduces the idea of 'your' agreeing, or being
willing to do what is suggested. Will is not usually used in the condition clause.
However it can appear when will expresses willingness (or in the negative,
refusal), for instance.
Examples:
~If you will wash the dishes, I'll put them away.
If Peter won't give you a lift, I will.
*When will expresses insistence, it is stressed and never contracted.
~If you will smoke, of course you will get a cough.

Type 1: alternative forms

a) Set your alarm clock, and you won't oversleep.

b) Set your alarm clock, or (else) you'll oversleep.

In these sentences, the imperative construction is equivalent to an 'if' clause. We
can rewrite the sentences using if.
a) If you set your alarm clock, you won't oversleep.
b) If you don't set your alarm clock, you'll oversleep.
The conjunction 'and' implies a verb form in the conditional clause of the same
sign (positive or negative) as the imperative; whereas 'or (else)' implies a verb
form of opposite sign.

Type 2 conditional sentences(unreal)

The verb in the if-clause is in the past tense; the verb in the main clause is

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in the conditional tense:
~If I had a map, I would lend it to you. (But I haven't a map. Meaning is
present.)
If someone tried to blackmail me I would tell the police. (But I don't expect
that anyone will try to blackmail me. The meaning here is future.)

In these sentences, the conditional clauses represent what is:

a) possible
b) hypothetical/ imaginary
c) contrary to present fact
The verb form in the conditional clause represents the attitude of the
speaker towards the condition; it does not represent time, which is indicated (if at
all) by other elements in the context or situation.
These conditional sentences are not based on fact. They express a
situation which is contrary to reality in the present and future; a hypothetical
condition and its probable result. This unreality is shown by a tense shift
'backwards':
Present - Past, will - would
~If I were taller, I'd join the police force. (In reality I am not, and never will
be, tall enough to join the police force.)
If you saw a ghost, what would you do? (I don't believe in ghosts, so I don't
think you will ever see one.)
By using a past verb form in Type 2, the speaker suggests that the situation
is less probable, or impossible, or imaginary.
Type 2 conditional can make a suggestion sound less direct and hence
more polite.
Example: Would you mind if I turned the music off?

Variations of Type 2
a) If we were to miss the 10 o'clock train, we wouldn't get there till after
lunch.

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The use of were to in the conditional clause sometimes has the effect of
emphasizing the suppositional nature of the condition, and it is in some ways
analogous to the use of should in conditional clauses in Type 1: we can often
substitute by any chance without changing the meaning:
~If by any chance we missed the 10 o'clock train, we wouldn't get there till
after lunch.
Were to is used for all Persons, and this variation can be used in any conditional
clause of this second type.1
*There are also cases where Were is used instead of was, especially when the
style is formal. It is also commonly used in the expression If I were you … when
giving advice.
~If he weren't so lazy, he would be in better shape.
If I were you, I wouldn't buy that dress.
b) If you would reserve seats, we would be sure of a comfortable
journey.
In this sentence, would is not part of a conditional tense; it is a modal verb, and
represents a more tentative (or 'polite') form of will as used in conditional clauses
of Type 1. It introduces the idea of 'your' agreeing, or being willing, to do what is
suggested.

Type 3 conditional sentences(unreal)

The verb in the if-clause is in the past perfect tense; the verb in the main
clause is in the perfect conditional. The time is past and the condition cannot be
fulfilled because the action in the if-clause didn't happen.
~If I had known you were coming I would have met you at the airport. (But I

1 It's important to distinguish between were to used as part of a conditional construction, and the
different forms am/is/are and was/ were to, used to indicate obligation. The difference is
illustrated in the following pair of sentences:
1 If he were to get in touch with me, I could explain.
=Supposing he got in touch with me, …
2 If he was to get in touch with me , why hasn't he done so?
=If the arrangement was that he should get in touch with me, why...

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didn't, so I didn't come.
If he had tried to leave the country he would have been stopped at the
frontier. (But he didn't try.)
If we had caught the 10 o'clock train, we would (could, might, etc.) have got
there by lunch time.
This sentence is completely hypothetical, and represents what is contrary to past
fact. In this case, the past perfect tense is used to indicate past unreality – we
didn't catch the 10 o'clock train, so we didn't get there by lunch time.
Type 3 conditional sentences, like Type 2, are not based on fact. They express a
situation which is contrary to reality in the past. This unreality is shown by a tense
shift 'backwards':
Past - Past Perfect, would - would have

Variations of Type 3
a) could or might may be used instead of would:
~If we had found him earlier we could have saved his life. (ability)
If we had found him earlier we might have saved his life. (possibility)
If our documents had been in order we could have left at once. (ability or
permission)
b) The continuous form of the perfect conditional may be used:
At the time of the accident I was sitting in the back of the car, because
Tom's little boy was sitting beside him in front. If Tom's boy hadn't been there, I
would have been sitting in front.
c) We can use the past perfect continuous in the if-clause:
~I was wearing a seatbelt. If I hadn't been wearing one, I'd have been
seriously injured.

Type 0: cause and effect

If you heat ice, it melts.

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 These sentences are statements of universal truth or general validity, and in
this type of sentence, if corresponds closely in meaning to when(ever). Statements
in this form commonly appear in factual discussion or explanatory (particularly
scientific and technical) material. The tenses in both conditional and the main
clause are the same.

Mixed conditional(Type 2 and Type 3

mixed)

It is possible for each of the two clauses in a conditional sentence to have a

different time reference, and the result is a mixed conditional. There are two types
of mixed conditional sentences. One of them states the present result of a past
condition, and the other states the past result of present or continuing condition.

Present result of past condition

Here we use past perfect in the if-clause, and would + infinitive in the main
clause:
~If I had accepted that job, I would be a millionaire now.
If I had married him, I would live happy now.
In these sentences the time is past in the if-clause, and present in the main
clause. They refer to an unreal past condition, and its probable result in the
present.

Past result of a present or continuing conditional

Here we use simple past in the if-clause and would have + past participle in
the main clause:

~If I didn't love him, I wouldn't have married him. ( I love him, and that is
why I married him.)
If I were invited, I would have come. (I was not invited. Therefore I didn't
go.)

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They refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) past result.
~If I were a good cook, I would have invited them to lunch. (I am not a good
cook, so I can't invite them to lunch.)
~ If I knew English, I would have got a better job.

Famous people from all ages used conditional sentences in their

quotes, for example:

''If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it
has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no
creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without
meaning.''
C.S. Lewis
''If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people
don't talk.''
Oscar Wilde
''If a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known he
employs it.''
Socrates
''If music be the food of love, play on.''
William Shakespeare
''If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would
it?''
Albert Einstein
''If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to
condemn.''
Friedrich Nietzsche

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 Bibliography

1. B.D. Graver Advanced English Practice – Third Edition, Oxford

University Press, Oxford 2000
2. Martin Hewings Advanced Grammar in Use – Second Edition,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2005
3. ''Gramatika engleskog jezika sa vezbanjima'', Ljubica Popovic, Vera
Miric, Beograd 1999.
4. www.brainyquotes.com
5. www.wikipedia.com

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 Content

Introduction 1
Sentences 1
Type 1 2
Variations of type 1 2
Alternative forms 3
Type 2 3
Variations of type 2 4
Type 3 5
Variations of type 3 6
Type 0: cause and effect 6
Mixed conditional(type 2 and type 3 mixed) 7
Quotes 8
Bibliography 9

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