CONDITIONALS &
MIXED
CONDITIONALS
ZERO CONDITIONAL
If you don’t water flowers, they die.
If you have a headache, stop watching TV.
If clause: Main clause:
PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE
or IMPERATIVE
With zero conditional
we express a general truth or we give advice.
FIRST CONDITIONAL
If the weather is nice, we will go for a walk.
If you don’t apologize, she will never trust you again.
If clause: Main clause:
PRESENT SIMPLE FUTURE SIMPLE
The first conditional refers to the present and future.
It expresses a possible condition and
its probable result in the future.
SECOND CONDITIONAL
Jack wants to buy a house but he can’t do this
because he doesn’t have any money.
If I had a lot of
money,
I would buy a big
house.
SECOND CONDITIONAL
Susan wants to phone Paul but she can’t do
this because she doesn’t know his number.
If I knew his
number,
I would phone
him.
SECOND CONDITIONAL
If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big
house.
If I knew his number, I would phone him.
if-clause: main clause:
PAST TENSE SIMPLE PRESENT CONDITIONAL
would + infinitive
The second conditional refers to the present and future.
It expresses an unreal situation and its probable result.
The situation or condition is improbable, impossible,
imaginary, or contrary to known facts.
FIRST v. SECOND CONDITIONAL
If John runs fast, he will win the
race.
This is still possible to happen.
If John ran fast, he would win the
race.
This is unlikely to happen because John doesn’t run fast.
THE DIFFERENCE: FIRST and SECOND CONDITIONAL
Both conditionals refer to the present and future.
The difference is about probability, not time.
First conditional: real and possible situations
Second conditional: unlikely to happen
THIRD CONDITIONAL
Jack wanted to buy a house last year but he couldn’t
do that because he didn’t have any money.
If I had had a lot of money,
I would have bought
a big house.
THIRD CONDITIONAL
Yesterday, Susan wanted to phone Paul but she
couldn’t do that because she didn’t know his number.
If I had known his number,
I would have phoned him.
THIRD CONDITIONAL
If I had had a lot of money, I would have bought a big
house.
If I had known his number, I would have phoned him.
if-clause: main clause:
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE PAST CONDITIONAL
would + have + past participle
The third conditional refers to the past and
it is not based on facts. It expresses the a situation
which is contrary to reality in the past.
SECOND v. THIRD CONDITIONAL
If I saw a car accident, I would call an ambulance.
But I don’t see an accident now. This is unlikely to happen.
If I had seen a car accident, I would have called an
ambulance.
But I didn’t see an accident yesterday.
This is contrary to the fact in the past.
THE DIFFERENCE: SECOND and THIRD CONDITIONAL
The difference is about time.
Second conditional: refers to the present and future
Third conditional: refers to the past situations
ALL CONDITIONALS
0. If he drives carefully, he avoids the accident.
General time reference.
1. If he drives carefully, he will avoid the accident
tomorrow.
This is still possible to happen.
2. If he drove carefully, he would avoid the accident
today.
But he doesn’t drive carefully. This is unlikely to happen.
3. If he had driven carefully, he would have avoided the
accident
yesterday.
But he didn’t drive carefully, so he didn’t avoid the accident.
MIXED CONDITIONALS
WE REFER TO MIXED CONDITIONALS WHEN WE DO NOT FOLLOW
THE STANDARD ZERO,1ST ,2ND AND 3RD CONDTIONAL PATTERNS.
TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MIXED CONDITIONALS ARE
COMBINATIONS OF 2ND AND 3RD CONDITIONALS.
TYPE ONE: TO TALK ABOUT THE PRESENT CONSEQUENCE OF A PAST
ACTION, THE IF-CLAUSE FOLLOWS THE PATTERN OF A 3RD
CONDITIONAL AND THE CONSEUQENCE CLAUSE FOLLOW THE
PATTERN OF A 2ND CONDITIONAL:
IF WE HAD LEFT EARLIER, WE WOULDN’T BE LATE. (= WE DIDN’T
LEAVE EARLY ENOUGH AND WE ARE LATE NOW)
TYPE TWO: WHEN THE IF-CLAUSE PRESENTS SOMETHING
HYPOTHETICAL IN THE PRESENT TIME (2ND CONDITIONAL) THAT
MADE SOMETHING FROM THE PAST NOT TO HAPPEN OR TO
HAPPEN(3RD CONDITIONAL):
IF I WAS FITTER, I WOULD HAVE WON THAT RACE. (= I’M NOT FIT
ENOUGH SO I DIDN’T WIN THE RACE)
ALTERNATIVES TO IF
THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO IF:
1. AS LONG AS/ PROVIDED: THEY INDICATE IF AND ONLY IF:
I’LL HELP YOU AS LONG AS /PROVIDED YOU HELP ME WITH MY
HOMEWORK.
2. IMAGINE/SUPPPOSE: WE USE THEM WHEN WE ARE HYPOTHESISING ABOUT
IMAGINARY SITUATIONS.
SUPPOSE/IMAGINE YOU FOUND A $ 50 NOTE IN THE STREET. WHAT WOULD
YOU DO?
3. UNLESS MEANS THE SAME AS IF NOT.
UNLESS I PHONE, EXPECT ME AT 8 P.M.
4. OTHERWISE IS OFTEN USE WHEN WE WANT TO WARN SOMEONE ABOUT WHAT
WILL HAPPEN IF THE CONDITION IS NOT MET.
WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW.OTHERWISE, WE’LL BE LATE.
OTHER STRUCTURES
THERE ARE TWO OTHER STRUCTURES IN ENGLISH WHICH ARE
CONSIDERED CONDITIONAL STRUCTURES:
IF ONLY
(I) WISH
BOTH STRUCTURES COULD BE FOLLOWED BY A PAST SIMPLE OR A
PAST PERFECT.
WHEN THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY THE PAST SIMPLE THEY EXPRESS
SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAPPEN IN THE PRESENT OR
FUTURE TIME:
IF ONLY / I WISH I COULD SEE YOU WHEN I ARRIVE TO YORK.
WHEN THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY PAST PERFECT THEY EXPRESS A PAST
REGRET:
IF ONLY/ SHE WISHES SHE HADN’T SAID THAT TO PAM.
INVERSIONS: Formal Style
1st Conditionals: (with ¨Should¨)
¨Should you need anything,I’ll be in the room¨= ¨If you
need anything, I’ll be in the room¨.
• 2nd Conditionals: ( Was/Were …. To)
¨Were the situation to get worse, we would need to
reconsider the position¨= ¨If the situation got worse, we
would need to reconsider the position¨
3rd Conditionals: (Had…..)
¨Had I known how late it was, I would have left early¨=
¨If I had known how late it was, I would have left early¨
THE END
