Lesson on Conditionals in English

Conditionals are sentences with two clauses – an "if" clause and a main clause – that describe
the result of a condition. There are four main types of conditionals in English: Zero
Conditional, First Conditional, Second Conditional, and Third Conditional. Each type serves
different purposes and is used to describe different kinds of situations.

1. Zero Conditional

Usage:

 To express general truths, scientific facts, and things that are always true.

Structure:

 Form: If + present simple, present simple

 Example: "If you heat water to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils."

Examples:

 "If you mix red and blue, you get purple."

 "If it rains, the ground gets wet."
 "If you touch fire, you get burned."

2. First Conditional

Usage:

 To talk about real and possible future situations.

 To describe things that are likely to happen if a certain condition is met.

Structure:

 Form: If + present simple, will + base verb

 Example: "If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic."

Examples:

 "If she studies hard, she will pass the exam."

 "If they arrive on time, we will start the meeting."
 "If I have time, I will call you."

3. Second Conditional

Usage:

 To discuss hypothetical or unreal situations in the present or future.

 To express dreams, wishes, or things that are unlikely to happen.

Structure:
  Form: If + past simple, would + base verb
 Example: "If I won the lottery, I would travel the world."

Examples:

 "If I were you, I would take that job."

 "If he had a car, he would drive to work."
 "If we lived in Paris, we would visit the Eiffel Tower often."

4. Third Conditional

Usage:

 To talk about unreal situations in the past.

 To express regret or imagine different outcomes of past events.

Structure:

 Form: If + past perfect, would have + past participle

 Example: "If I had known about the party, I would have gone."

Examples:

 "If she had left earlier, she would have caught the train."
 "If they had studied more, they would have passed the exam."
 "If we had booked the tickets, we would have attended the concert."

Mixed Conditionals

Sometimes, conditionals can mix different times. The most common mixed conditionals are:

1. Present result of a past condition:

o Form: If + past perfect, would + base verb
o Example: "If I had studied harder, I would have a better job now."
2. Past result of a present condition:
o Form: If + past simple, would have + past participle
o Example: "If she were more careful, she wouldn't have broken the vase."

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
o If you __________ (heat) ice, it __________ (melt). (Zero Conditional)
o If I __________ (see) her tomorrow, I __________ (tell) her. (First
Conditional)
o If he __________ (have) a lot of money, he __________ (buy) a big house.
(Second Conditional)
o If they __________ (finish) their work earlier, they __________ (come) to the
party. (Third Conditional)
2. Convert the sentences to the indicated form (negative or interrogative).
 oIf she has time, she will join us. (Negative)
oIf he were here, he would help us. (Interrogative)
oIf they had known, they would have come. (Negative)
oIf I have enough money, I will buy the tickets. (Interrogative)
3. Create sentences using the given prompts.
o (general truth) / if / water / freeze / it / turn / ice
o (possible future) / if / we / hurry / we / catch / bus
o (hypothetical situation) / if / I / be / you / I / apologize
o (past regret) / if / she / study / harder / she / pass / exam

This lesson on conditionals will help students understand how to construct sentences that
express conditions and their possible outcomes with appropriate usage and structures.