GRAMMAR

 CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
Conditional sentences are used to talk about a possible situation and its results.
They usually consist of two parts: the if-clause and the main clause. The if-clause can come before or after the main
clause.

I. Types of Conditional Sentences

There are three types of conditional sentences: sentences of real condition (type 1) and sentences of unreal condi-
tion (types 2 and 3).
IF THEN
Type 1 present will

Type 2 past would

Type 3 past perfect would have

Types Example Meaning

If you drop a piece of bread it an event that may happen in the
1. will land with the buttered side future
down.
a. If Steve were1 / was here, he’d a. imaginary situation at present
know what to do.
2.
b. He would tell me the news if b. an event that is unlikely to hap-
he came. pen in the future
He would have told me the news an event that was possible in the
3.
if he had come. past but did not happen
e.g. If I were you… / if I were in your place… (NOT “was”)
Если бы я был на твоем месте…
If it were not for… / were it not for … (NOT “was”)
Если бы не…

Ex. 63. Translate the sentences into Russian. Explain the use of the Conditionals.
A.
1. Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions. – Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
2. Quarrels would not last long if the faults were only on one side. – La Rochefoucauld
3. If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than
he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. – John Stuart Mill
4. If God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him. – Voltaire
5. If people behaved in the way nations do they would all be put in straitjackets. – Tennessee Williams
6. The wrong sort of people are always in power because they wouldn’t be in power if they were not the wrong sort of
people. – Jon Wynne Tyson
7. It is seldom indeed that one parts on good terms, because if one were on good terms one would not part. – Marcel
Proust, about love
8. It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would sooner die than tell the truth if you
were in his place. – Henry Wheeler Shaw
9. If women didn’t exist all the money in the world would have no meaning. – Aristotle Onassis
10. Youth would be an ideal state if it came later in life. – Lord Hebert Henry Asquith

1
”were” is preferable in purely imaginary situations.
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B.
1. If I had known how old I was going to be I’d have taken better care of myself. – Adolph Zukov, on the approach of
his hundredth birthday
2. No one would have remembered the Good Samaritan if he’d had only good intentions. He had money as well. –
Margaret Thatcher
3. If Adolph Hitler had never been born and World War II had never been fought, then Winston Churchill would still
have had an accomplished and rewarding career serving the crown.
4. Many historians agree that if President Wilson had permitted some key “reservations” to be attached to the Versailles
Treaty, the Senate would certainly have given its approval, and the United States would have entered the League of
Nations.
5. The genome would certainly have been sequenced if Craig Wenter had never been born. But if he hadn’t decided to
attack the problem with a radical approach, using the most sophisticated computer technology available, it would
have taken years longer to complete.
6. The English language would not have been what it is now if the English had not been for centuries great respecters
of the liberties of each individual and everybody had not been free to strike out new paths for himself. – Danish
scholar, Otto Jespersen

1. Conjunctions other than if

as / so long as
при условии, что
provided (that) / providing (that)
в том случае, если
on (the) condition that
unless если (только) не
даже если
even if
хотя бы и
если (бы)
suppose / supposing предположим (что…)
допустим (что…)

Ex. 64. Paraphrase the sentences using the conjunctions in brackets.

Model: If I could live close enough to attend cultural events, I still (not move) out of London. (even if)  Even if I
could live close enough to attend cultural events, I still wouldn’t move out of London.
1. If Brian (not finish) the work in time, what shall we do? (supposing)
2. If I (keep) letters it would never have occurred to me to keep his. (even if)
3. He says he’ll go parachuting if you (do) too. (provided (that))
4. You’ll be quite safe if you (follow) my instructions. (as long as)
5. What if your plan (not work) – what will you do then? (suppose)
6. If we (get) support from the trade unions, we will surely win the election. (provided)
7. I’ll lend you the money if you (pay) it back within three weeks. (on condition (that))
8. You don’t expect me to join the army, do you? What if I (get) killed? (suppose)
9. You should always wear a helmet when you’re riding your bike – what if you (fall off)? (supposing)
10. If there (be) no objections, we will begin with item three on the agenda. (provided (that))
11. Look, if you (lose) your job tomorrow, what would you do? (supposing)
12. You can come and see the baby if you (not make) any noise. (as long as)
13. Sure you can borrow the car if you (get) it back before 10 o’clock. (providing)
14. I wouldn’t have minded what he did if I (know) nothing about it. (as long as)
15. If your wife (die), wouldn’t you be tortured by remorse? (supposing)

Ex. 65. Paraphrase the sentences using unless.

Model: I have to call Pete tonight or he won’t come round.  Pete won’t come round unless I phone him tonight. (Un-
less I phone him tonight, Peter won’t come round.)
1. Some extra money must be found or the theatre will close. The theatre ...... unless ......
2. The company will have to sell more shares, or it will go bankrupt. Unless ......
3. The doctors have to operate immediately or she’ll die. Unless......
4. Let’s hurry up or we’ll be late. We ...... unless ......
5. Listen to the instructions carefully or you won’t know what to do. You ...... unless ......

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Model: Tokyo life will suit you only if you like crowds.  Tokyo life won’t suit you unless you like crowds.
1. You can get a job only if you’ve got experience.
2. She will lose weight only if she sticks to a diet.
3. He will be able to collect the necessary sum only if he saves every penny.
4. You can reproduce textbooks only if you have written permission.
5. She will be able to sort out this problem only if she listens to what her teachers are saying.

Ex. 66. Translate into English using the Conditionals.

1. Предположим, у тебя бы кончились деньги. Что бы ты стал делать?
2. Он отпустит заложников, только если вы удовлетворите все его требования.
3. Я бы не бросила работу, даже если бы у меня не было необходимости зарабатывать на жизнь.
4. Не говори ему ничего о несчастном случае, если только он не спросит.
5. Я дам тебе взаймы с условием, что ты мне вернешь деньги не позже, чем через месяц.
6. Допустим, у вас была бы возможность учиться за рубежом. B какую страну вы бы поехали?
7. Он согласился работать сверхурочно при условии, что его не вызовут на работу в выходные.
8. Допустим, тебе зададут этот вопрос на экзамене. Что ты ответишь?
9. Я ничего не имею против того, чтобы ты прочитал письмо при условии, что ты не будешь его комментиро-
вать.

Ex. 67. Open the brackets using Conditional 1 for perfectly possible situations or Conditional 2 for unlikely sup-
positions.
1. I don’t think we’ll sell this flat. But if we (sell) the flat, how much do you think we (get)?
2. They say there’re snakes here. What we (do) if we (see) one?
3. Can’t you see you’re playing with fire? If you (get) caught, you (end up) in jail.
4. It seems unlikely that they will change their plans at this stage. But if they (do), it (improve) the situation greatly.
5. Listen! I’m serious. I (fire) you if you (not change) your attitude to work.
6. They’ll have to take a chance with that old car and pray that it doesn’t break down on the road. If it (do) they (be) in
big trouble.
7. Max and Rita do not think of buying a house. Buying a house (place) a big financial burden on the young couple.
8. If you (continue) to cause trouble the company (be forced) to dismiss you.
9. What’s the point of buying a car? If I (buy) a car I (have) one big headache.
10. I don’t think he is the President’s most likely successor. I (be) surprised if he (be) elected.
11. We can’t offer the job to someone with so little experience. It (be) too risky if we (do).
12. I know you’ve been working too hard. If you (keep on) doing that, you (break down).

Ex. 68. Consider hypothetical consequences for these unlikely conditions. Make up your own sentences.
1. If I were ten years older…
2. If I received a failing grade in my course…
3. If I had difficulty with a class…
4. If I had an opportunity to study abroad…
5. If I met a girl (a boy) of my dream…
6. If I were the Mayor…
7. If I were a magician…
8. If our climate were milder…
9. If money grew on trees…
10. If people learnt lessons from history…
11. If all people lived as good neighbours…

Ex. 69. Read the story and make if- sentences using the flowchart. Make an if- sentence from each box of the
flowchart.
The Unsinkable Titanic
In 1912, the British luxury liner Titanic sank on its first voyage across the Atlantic after hitting an iceberg.
The captain, passengers, and crew firmly believed that the ship was unsinkable. Captain Smith gave no orders to re-
duce speed although he knew about iceberg danger. When the iceberg was spotted less than a quarter mile away, the Ti-
tanic was cruising at full speed and had no time to stop or swerve.

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 To make matters worse, there were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers, and over 1500 people died as a result
of this disaster.
As it turned out, it was only by accident that the ship’s radio was operational. It had gone out and the Titanic’s tele-
graph operator Harold Bride had managed to repair it just hours before the tragedy. The Carpathia, which picked up the
Titanic’s SOS signal, arrived at the scene and took on board as many survivors as it could. After the disaster, new laws
were introduced concerning safety at sea.

Flowchart
A.
Captain Smith be less sure of the invincibility of the ship

Captain Smith give orders to reduce the speed

the Titanic have time to stop or swerve

the Titanic not hit an iceberg

the Titanic not sink

over 1500 people not die

B.
Harold Bride not repair the radio

the radio not be operational

the Titanic not give the SOS signal

the Carpathia not pick up the signal

the Carpathia not come to the Titanic’s rescue

700 more people die

Ex. 70. Read the story and complete the sentences given below.
The Eight-Year-Old Heroin Addict
On September 28, 1980, a story appeared in the Washington Post, describing the tragic ghetto life of Jimmy, an eight-
year-old heroin addict. The story written by reporter Janet Cooke, drew immediate attention. Police and social workers
searched for the boy; unable to find him, they contacted Cooke, who told them that revealing information would put
Jimmy and herself in danger.
It might as well have ended there but for the Post’s submitting the story for consideration by the Pulitzer Prize com-
mittee.
Not to submit such a prominent story would have indicated the newspaper lacked faith in its veracity.
When the story won, Cooke was asked to supply biographical information to the Committee; the resume she pro-
duced was so filled with errors and inconsistencies that it brought the Jimmy story into doubt.
Questioned by Executive Editor Ben Bradlee, Cooke finally confessed to making up the story. The next day she pub-
licly apologized and resigned; the Post returned the Pulitzer and ran a story describing the hoax.
The twenty-five-year-old black reporter faded from public view.
/The Washington Post, 1980/
Sentences:
1. Police and social workers wouldn’t have contacted Cooke if ...
2. Cooke wouldn’t have had to supply her resume to the Committee if...
3. The resume wouldn’t have caused suspicion if ...
4. The Post wouldn’t have returned the prize if ...
5. Cooke wouldn’t have resigned if ...

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6. ......

Ex. 71. Rewrite the sentences as Conditionals 2 or 3.

Model: I would write to her, but I don’t know her address  I would write to her if I knew her address.
Our chairman was unwell, otherwise he would have been with us that evening.  If our chairman hadn’t been
unwell, he would have been with us that evening.
1. She must have been deeply hurt, or she wouldn’t have burst into tears.
2. You don’t really love me or you’d come back again.
3. Clark would probably have won the race but his car went out of control and crashed.
4. He was a man of incomparable kindness and generosity, otherwise he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.
5. She wanted to make a statement about cruelty to animals, otherwise she wouldn’t have thrown paint over the fur
coats.
6. He would have gone to the US but he was denied a visa.
7. I was in the right place at the right time, or I wouldn’t have met you.
8. He’s a very fortunate person, or he wouldn’t have so many friends.
9. We were unable to get the funding, otherwise we would have never abandoned the project.
10. He would make friends easily, but he has an unpleasant manner.

Ex. 72. Paraphrase the sentences using Conditionals 2 or 3.

1. She didn’t put the milk back in the fridge and it went off.
2. As he found the work unsatisfying he resigned.
3. The reason she’s so irritable is because she’s tired.
4. Pat missed the last flight, and therefore had to stay the night at the airport.
5. The reason I walked out was because I was bored.
6. The car broke down and so we had to walk all the way home.
7. People dislike me because I’m handsome and successful.
8. MPs were indignant as the government had not consulted them about starting price reforms.
9. Sarah wasn’t at school last week, with the result that she missed an important test.

Ex. 73. Translate into English using Conditionals 2 and 3.

1. Если бы наши потребительские товары были более высокого качества, они бы были конкурентоспособны.
2. Я бы мог сохранять спокойствие, если бы ситуация не требовала принятия срочных мер.
3. Было бы бестактно с его стороны затронуть этот вопрос.
4. Я бы послушался ее совета, если бы не считал, что она утратила чувство реальности.
5. Джон был бы последним глупцом, если бы не вкладывал деньги в образование своих детей.
6. Если бы он не был зачислен в университет, ему бы не удалось избежать призыва ( to be drafted) в армию.
7. Полиция не была бы встревожена, если бы в обращении не было несколько тысяч фальшивых банкнот.
8. Если бы я был на вашем месте, я бы сократил (to cut down on) потребление сахара.
9. Экономические санкции не были бы введены, если бы страна не нарушила соглашение.
10. На вашем месте я бы не завидовал их успеху.
11. Диана не злопамятна. (= Таить обиду не в характере Дианы). На твоем месте я бы не беспокоился.
12. Если бы он привел более убедительные аргументы, ему бы удалось доказать свою правоту.
13. Он не стал бы баллотироваться на пост президента, если бы не считал, что может принести пользу государ-
ству.
14. Если бы не был введен запрет на продажу слоновой кости, слоны были бы полностью истреблены.
15. Если бы жизнь была менее напряженной (stressful), люди бы жили дольше.
16. Было бы легко поставить диагноз, если бы болезнь протекала обычным образом.
17. С ним было бы гораздо приятнее общаться, если бы он не стремился навязать всем свои взгляды.
18. Тираж газеты не упал бы, если бы цена на нее не была повышена на 45 пенсов.

2. Verbs in a continuous form

You can use continuous verb forms in both the main and the if-clauses.
I wouldn’t be living in a place like this if I had any money.
They’d have noticed the explosion if they hadn’t been making so much noise.

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12. Rosa was pleasant and easy to live with and she adored him, but Michael knew if she (die) or (go away) he (get
along) without her. He simply (find) someone else to do the things she did for him.

Ex. 77. Read the passages and make up conditional sentences.

1. When the first escalator was installed in the London underground in 1911, some people found the idea of stepping on
and off stairs that moved an alarming one. A man with a wooden leg, called “Bumper” Harris, was engaged to ride
up and down all day to provide reassurance for the fainthearted.
2. Akio Morita, Chairman of Sony, was fed up with having to listen to rock music blaring from his children’s hi-fi. He
determined to give teenagers a miniature tape-player with headphones, which would release their long-suffering par-
ents from the miseries of modern music. The player was introduced in Japan as the Walkman in 1979.
3. While Edison was waiting for a job interview, a telegraph broke down in the office. Edison promptly fixed the ma-
chine and got a better job than the one he was originally seeking.

II. Mixed Conditional Sentences

If-clause Main Clause
1 Past action and its present consequences Type 3 Type 2
2 Present (general) fact and its past consequences Type 2 Type 3

1. Past action: You ate too much.

Present Consequences: You have a stomach-ache.
If you hadn’t eaten too much (type 3), you wouldn’t have a stomach-ache (type 2).
2. Present (general) fact: He is not a careful driver.
Past Consequences: He met with an accident.
If he were a careful driver (type 2), he wouldn’t have met with an accident (type 3).

Ex. 78. Combine the sentences using mixed Conditionals.

1. I missed the supper. I’m starving.
2. She grew up in Paris. She knows it well.
3. The soup is tasteless. You didn’t put enough salt during the cooking.
4. He’s got no manners. He told a rude joke.
5. She has been studying for her doctorate for three years. She is able to offer expert advice.
6. His flat was badly damaged during the fire. He’s staying at a hotel.
7. The food has been stored for a long time. It is not safe to eat.
8. Nick has been offered two well-paid jobs. He is in a dilemma which one to choose.
9. The headteacher gave Bob a very good reference. She has a high opinion of his abilities.
10. I don’t have enough money. I telephoned many airlines to find out the cheapest price.
11. John had a heart attack last year. He can’t have a healthy and active life now.
12. Alice spent a few years in Florence. Her Italian is very good.
13. I have been self-employed very long. I can’t imagine having to work for someone.
14. You’ve been shouting. The baby is awake.

III. Reduced Conditional Clauses

But for
If it were not for если бы не
If it had not been for
e.g. If it were not for him I would never have become a doctor.
Если бы не он, я бы никогда не стал врачом.

Ex. 79. Translate into Russian paying attention to reduced conditional clauses.
1. If it were not for Hopes, the Heart would break. – Thomas Fuller
2. We owe a lot to Thomas Edison – if it were not for him, we’d be watching television by candlelight. – Milton Berle
3. If it had not been for his good looks, he wouldn’t have gone on the stage, he would have gone into the army like his
father.

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4. When Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, she might have gone to
jail and been forgotten if it hadn’t been for the mass media.
5. We’d be at the top of the mountain but for this awful weather.
6. If it hadn’t been for the war, Larry would have stayed on the farm.
7. Whole industries would have collapsed but for the massive injection of public funds.
8. After President Wilson suffered a paralytic stroke his wife took over his job. If it had not been for Edith, he could
long since have been removed from office for inability to perform his duties as president.
9. Dinosaurs wouldn’t have died out if it had not been for a combination of climate changes and competition from mam-
mals in the changing conditions.
10. Jackues Piccard could never have conquered the Mariana Trench in 1960 if it had not been for his father, Auguste, a
Swiss scientist who designed and constructed the bathyscaphe.

Ex. 80. Paraphrase the sentences using if it were not for, if it had not been for, but for.
1. Thanks to your carelessness these important documents were lost.
2. Our flight was delayed due to a strike of air-traffic controllers.
3. Because of the snow schools have been closed and children told to stay at home.
4. He is being criticized for his failure to complete the work.
5. Without his influence, the outcome of the conflict would have been unpredictable.
6. He’s not playing in the afternoon’s game because of his leg injury.
7. Without your advice, I wouldn’t have made the right choice.
8. I’m sure it’s because of the children that she hasn’t left her husband.
9. Many young people postponed starting families because of the recession.

Ex. 81. Translate into English using reduced conditional clauses.

1. Если бы не Книга рекордов Гиннеса (The Guinness Book of Records), мы бы не узнали о многих необычных
людях и их достижениях.
2. Если бы не усилия президента Картера, количество безработных не сократилось бы более, чем на миллион в
1977 году.
3. Если бы не Уотергейтский скандал, президенту Никсону не пришлось бы уйти в отставку.
4. Правительство не ввело бы запрет на импорт электротоваров, если бы не желание поддержать своего произ-
водителя.
5. Если бы не упорный труд и большие усилия, они бы не достигли всего задуманного (all they set out to do).
6. Если бы не хорошее чувство юмора и природный оптимизм, он бы считал свое положение безнадежным.
7. Если бы не отсутствие опыта работы, выпускники колледжей не испытывали бы трудностей с трудоустрой-
ством.
8. Если бы не недостаток профессиональной подготовки, Стивенсон мог бы претендовать (aspire to) на руково-
дящую должность.
9. Если бы не поддержка родных и друзей, она бы не сумела завершить образование.

IV. Inversion
In a literary style, structures were I / you / he / etc., had I / you / he / etc. can be used instead of if I / you / he / etc.
were, if I / you / he / etc. had.
e.g. Were you really ill, I might feel more sympathetic.
Had I known he was ill, I would never have shouted at him.

Ex. 82. Translate the sentences into Russian paying attention to inversion.
1. Had UN forces not intervened, a full-scale war might have erupted.
2. Were it not for his pension, he would starve.
3. Julia was convinced that had it been possible to get the operation done secretly he would have had his face lifted.
4. She had a heart attack – had she not already been in a hospital, she would have died.
5. Torpenhow’s hair would have stood on end had he heard the fluency with which Dick preached his own gospel of
art.
6. News of the old emperor’s death brought joyful relief among the Roman citizens. They would not have been so
quick to celebrate had they had an inkling as to just how bad the new emperor would be.

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