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‘imagine’ and ‘suppose’ are often followed by a second or third conditional
clause, which refer to hypothetical or unlikely events:
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TYPE 1 CONDITIONAL: UNLESS + PRESENT TENSE

With if Equivalent with unless

You will be sick if you don't stop eating. You'll be sick unless you stop eating.
I won't pay if you don't provide the goods I won't pay unless you provide the goods
immediately. immediately.
If you don't study dilligently, you'll never understand Unless you study dilligently, you'll never understand
trigonometry. trigonometry.
TYPE 2 CONDITIONAL: UNLESS + PAST TENSE

With if Equivalent with unless

If he wasn't very ill, he would be at work. Unless he was very ill, he would be at work.
I wouldn't eat that food if I wasn't really hungry. I wouldn't eat that food unless I was really hungry.
She would be here by now if she wasn't stuck in She would be here by now unless she was stuck in
traffic. traffic.
TYPE 3 CONDITIONAL: UNLESS + PAST PERFECT

With if Equivalent with unless

Our director would not have signed the contract if she Our director would not have signed the contract
hadn't had a lawyer present. unless she had had a lawyer present.
I wouldn't have phoned him if you hadn't suggested it. I wouldn't have phoned him unless you'd
suggested it.
They would have shot her if she hadn't given them the They would have shot her unless she'd given them
money. the money.
COMPLETE THE EXERCISE
WITH IF OR UNLESS.
• 1. We cannot go home ___ the rain stops.
• 2. I won't talk to her ___ she apologizes to me.
• 3. You won't be able to find the house ___ you get help from your GPS.
• 4. I won't go ___ he is going.
• 5. ___ we don’t take the necessary measures now,
we may have serious problems later.
• 6. ___ you don't take notes you will have hard time studying later.
• 7. She must have graduated already, ___ she failed a class.