GRAMMAR

Conditionals 1
Conditions and results

• Sentences with if where one event depends on another event are called conditionals.
The if... clause is the condition and the other part of the sentence is the result. Here
are four examples of conditionals used for talking about checking in at the airport for
a flight:
0 I f you arrive early, you get a better seat.
1 If you arrive early, you’ll get a better seat.
2 If you arrived early, you’d get a better seat.
3 If you had arrived early, you’d have got a better seat.

• Sentence 0 is talking generally about something that is always true. It is called a zero
conditional.
Sentence 1 describes what someone thinks will happen in a real situation. You believe
that the things you are talking about will happen. It is called a real condition or the
first conditional.
Sentence 2 describes what might happen in the future, or things you can imagine
happening. It is called an imaginary condition or the second conditional.
Sentence 3 describes things you can imagine happening in the past. It is impossible to
change the past, so this is called an impossible condition, or the third conditional.

• Zero, first and second conditionals are included in this unit. The third conditional is
included in Grammar 13.

Zero conditional: if+ present sim p le ,... present simple

• Things that are always or generally true. We can use when or if to introduce the sentence.
It’s a tropical country, so if it rains hard, everyone stays indoors.
It’s a tropical country, so when it rains hard, everyone stays indoors.

• We can use an imperative structure in the result clause. An imperative is when we tell
people what to do.
If you feel dizzy, stop taking the tablets.
If you change your mind, give me a ring.

First conditional: if+ present sim p le ,... w ill/w on't

• Future events that will happen, or are likely to happen. The event is a real possibility
in the speakers mind, not imaginary (for imaginary situations see the second
conditional).
I f we walk so slowly, we’ll be late.
If we run, we won’t be late.
If we don’t run, we will be late.
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INTERMEDIATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE

• Example: You are at the supermarket with a friend. Your friend has put some eggs in a
bag, and is picking up lots of other bags at the same time. You say:
If you carry too many bags, you’ll drop the eggs.
If you drop the eggs, they’ll break.
If the eggs break, there will be an awful mess on the floor!
If you are careful, you won’t break them.

• In the condition clause it is possible to use other present tenses, not just the present
simple.
If you’re driving, I ’ll come with you. (present continuous)
If I’ve seen the film before, I ’ll let you know! (present perfect)

Second conditional: if+ past s im p le ,... w ould/w ou ldn 't

• Future events that are imaginary, unlikely or impossible.

If I had a helicopter, I’d fly to school.
If I flew to school, 1 wouldn’t be late.

• Example: You start talking to a friend about aliens. You say:

If some aliens landed on earth, I’d make friends with them.
If they didn’t speak English, I’d use sign language.
If they took me back to their planet, I’d learn their language.
If anyone believed my story, I’d become famous!

• In speech and informal writing the short form of would is ‘d.

I’d become famous. (= I would become famous.)

• A past simple tense form is used in the condition clause, but the time reference is the
future.

• We use the past forms of be in second conditionals (I was, you were, he was etc.), or we
can use I were and he/she were in more formal sentences.
If I was/were an astronaut, I ’d enjoy being weightless!

U nless
Unless means ‘if not’ in sentences where we say that if something does not happen,
something else will happen. These are sentences which have the same meaning.
Well go out for a walk if it doesn’t rain.
Well go out for a walk unless it rains.

Other uses of w o u ld
We use would in other situations which do not involve conditional sentences.
Reporting what someone said: He said he would call back later.
Polite offer: Would you like some more tea?
Polite request: Would you open the window, please?
Reporting a refusal The boys wouldn’t keep quiet.

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 GRAMMAR 12 CONDITIONALS 1

1 Underline the correct word or phrase in each sentence.

1 If we’d be/were late for class, our teacher will be/was angry.
2 If we would live/lived on another planet, well see/we’d see the Earth in the sky.
3 If we take/will take a taxi, we arrived/we’ll arrive sooner.
4 If we won’t hurry/don’t hurry, we’ll be/we’d be late.
5 If we were/are birds, we would be able to/are able to fly.
6 If you don’t wear/wouldn’t wear your pullover, you’ll feel/you felt cold.
7 If I studied/will study harder, I get/would get better marks.
8 If I have/had a motorbike, I rode/ld ride it to school.
9 If you will lend/lend me your bike, I ’ll let/I let you borrow my skateboard.
10 If I had/have lots of money, I gave/I’d give some to all my friends.

2 Complete the sentence for each situation using the verbs given.
1 You’re standing very close to the edge of a swimming pool. You’re wearing all your
clothes, not a swimming costume. A friend says:
If you (fall in) ...fO.lLW'V....., your clothes (get) ...W.tl-.LgjJfc... wet!
2 You’re sitting in the classroom on a hot day. You’re day dreaming about going to
the beach. You think:
If today (be)................... a holiday, I (go).....................to the beach.
3 You can’t answer a question in your English book. You ask a friend to help, but she
doesn’t know the answer. She says:
If I (know)................... the answer, I (tell).....................you.
4 You’re walking towards the bus stop with a friend. Suddenly the bus arrives. The
bus stop is far away, but you think there is a chance of catching the bus. You say:
If we (ru n )................... . we (catch)................... it!
5 You’re planning to go cycling tomorrow with some friends. You are not sure about
the weather, because it sometimes rains at this time of the year. You arrange to
meet tomorrow afternoon and say:
If it (rain)................... .. we (go)................... to the cinema instead.
6 You’re very busy, because you have lots of school work, and you also play in two
teams. A friend asks you to join a computer club. You say:
If I (have)................... more free time, I (join).....................the club.
But it’s impossible at the moment because I’m too busy!

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INTERMEDIATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE

Complete each sentence using if, unless or would.

1 If he asked me to help him, I ....... Wff&M............
2 We’ll have lunch outside in the garden,...............................it’s too cold.
3 John...............................win more races if he trained harder.
4 Come o n !...............................we hurry, we’ll miss the plane!
5 ............................... you like to use my laptop?
6 The manager won’t be long.................................you take a seat, please.
7 I’m sure that Connie..............................go to the cinema with you, if you asked her.
8 ...............................you feel like a chat, phone me tonight.
9 W h at...............................you do if you saw a big spider?
10 I don’t feel happy............................ I swim every day.
11 ............................... you lend me some money until Friday?
12 Could you phone m e ...............................you’ll be late?
13 ............................... you give me my pen back, I’ll tell the teacher!
14 I’ll come to your p arty ...............................Sam is coming. I really like her!
15 ...............................you feel cold, turn on the heating.

4 Complete each sentence (1-14) with an ending (a - n).

1 If you play the music too loud, ....j....... a the alarm would go off.
2 If aliens landed on E arth,.......... b I’ll buy a new bike.
3 If we don’t have enough ice cream ,........ c I’ll be in Paris at 6.00.
4 If we leave now,.......... d you’ll feel ill.
5 If I found someone’s wallet,.......... e you wouldn’t talk to me!
6 If a burglar broke into this house,.......... f you would feel better.
7 If my train isn’t late,.......... g a lot of people would panic!
8 If you were famous,.......... h I’ll get it for you.
9 If you eat any more cake,.......... i you’ll get wet.
10 If my father lends me the money,.......... j you’ll wake up the neighbours.
11 If you fall in the water,.......... k you’d understand more.
12 If you took more exercise,.......... 1 we’ll get some more.
13 If you tell me what you w ant,.......... m I’d take it to the police station.
14 If you used a dictionary,.......... n we won’t miss the bus.

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 GRAMMAR 12 CONDITIONALS 1

5 Complete each sentence as either a first conditional or a second conditional

sentence using th e verb in brackets.
1 If I (have).....................arms five metres long, I (be able)...... .'.C’Lbft.G&U*........ to
reach the top of that shelf.
2 Don’t worry, you’ve just got a cold. If you (take)..................... an aspirin, you
(feel)................................better.
3 Vegetarians believe that if nobody (eat)..................... meat, everyone
(live)................................longer.
4 If I (become)..................... a famous rock star, I (buy)................................. my
parents an enormous house.
5 It says ‘No Parking’. If you (leave)..................... the car here, the police
(give)...............................you a parking fine.
6 It’s not far. If you (follow)..................... this path, you (com e).................................
to the station.
7 If people (use)..................... bikes instead of cars, there (not b e )...............................
so much pollution.
8 Actually, Brutus is a very friendly dog. If you (touch)..................... him, he
(not bite)................................ you.
9 If you (leave)..................... your books on the desk, I (give).................................
them back to you at the end of the lesson.
10 If you (live).....................on the 100th floor of a skyscraper, your friends
(not w ant).............................. to visit you!

6 Rewrite each sentence so it begins as shown.

1 If you wear a pullover, you won’t feel cold.
If you don’t ...W.e.^K.0..^UoV.CK..yP^Ll..-f£d..C!GL(i......................................................
2 You’ll get wet, unless you take your umbrella.
I f ......................................................................................................................................
3 You’ll be late for school unless you get up now!
If y ou ............................................................................................................................. !
4 You won’t get lost if you take a map.
Unless..............................................................................................................................
5 If we don’t feed the cat now, it will get very hungry.
The cat w ill......................................................................................................................
6 If it doesn’t rain, we’ll go for a walk.
We won’t .........................................................................................................................

-» S E E A L S O
Grammar 13: Conditionals 2

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 GRAMMAR

Conditionals 2
Third conditional: if+ past p e rfe c t,... w ould/w ou ldn 't + h a v e + past
participle

• This type of sentence imagines a past event that didn’t actually happen, and its possible
results in the past.
I f you had arrived earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the train.
I f you hadn’t warned me about the sun, I would have got sunburnt.

• Example: You went for a long walk, but you did not take your umbrella. It rained, and
you got wet.
If I had taken my umbrella, I wouldn’t have got wet.
If I’d heard the weather forecast, I wouldn’t have gone out.
If I hadn’t gone out, I would have finished my homework.

Modal verbs in conditional sentences

• The examples in Grammar 12 and this unit have all used will/wont or would/wouldn’t
in the result clause. We can also use any other modal verb, like can, could, may, might,
must and should.
I f you ever come to Istanbul, I can show you around the city.
I f you ever come to Istanbul, you must phone me.

We often use might and could in conditional sentences when we want to say that we
are not certain about the results. Compare:
I f you carry too many bags, you will drop the eggs. (certain result)
I f you carry too many bags, you might drop the eggs. (uncertain result)
If anyone believed my story, I would become famous! (certain result)
I f anyone believed my story, I could become famous! (uncertain result)
In third conditional sentences we use could have (done) or might have (done).
I f I had brought some more money with me, I could have taken a taxi.

Conditionals without if
In everyday speech we can use imagine or supposing in place of if.
Imagine you saw a snake, what would you do?
Supposing you owned a helicopter, what would you use it for?

If I w ere y o u , ...
We can give advice by using a second conditional sentence beginning If I were you.
If I were you, I ’d spend more time on your written work.
If I were you, I wouldn’t eat so much chocolate!
It is also possible to put the i/-clause at the end.
I ’d be more careful, if I were you.
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 GRAMMAR 13 CONDITIONALS 2

1 Rewrite each comment, beginning as shown. Do not change the meaning.

1 Supposing you had wings, what would you do?
What ..VV!C>.^W.y/?.H.jd/?if.yjP.W,.hArf..Vykirt<0£................................................................... ?
2 Why don’t you leave now? That’s what I’d do.
If...........................................................................................................................................
3 Imagine you lived on Mars. How would you feel?
H ow ......................................................................................................................!............ ?
4 I think you should buy a bike. That’s what I’d do.
I f ...........................................................................................................................................
5 Imagine you were rich. What would you do?
W hat..................................................................... . *.......................................................... ?
6 Supposing Jim came with us, what would you say?
W hat.................................................................................................................................. ?
7 Why don’t you take the bus? That’s what I’d do.
If...........................................................................................................................................
8 Imagine you lost your keys. What would you do?
W hat.................................................................................................................................. ?

2 Underline the correct word or phrase in each sentence.

1 If you phoned/had phoned me yesterday, I had given/would have given you the news.
2 If you took/would have taken more exercise, you might feel/had felt better.
3 If Tim drove/had driven more carefully, he wouldn't have crashed/didn’t crash.
4 If you had come!came to see the film, you had enjoyed/would have enjoyed it.
5 If I ’d known/I would know it was your birthday, I would send/would have sent you a
card.
6 If people had helped/helped one another more often, the world might be/was a better
place.
7 If our team had tried/tried harder, we had won!could have won.
8 If you would have worn/wore a coat, you wouldn't get/didn’t get cold.

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INTERMEDIATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE

3 Complete the sentence for each situation.

1 Charlotte didn’t leave early, and so she missed the bus.

If Charlotte.................... bftd.iiSfk.efixiy..........................................
sh e .................. .vyfiKt-.di^'.t.InCtVC.KiivicSSCC!.......................... the bus.
2 I didn’t buy more milk, so I didn’t have enough for breakfast.
If I ...........................................................................................
I .........................................................................................enough for breakfast.
3 We forgot to take a map, so we got lost in the mountains.
If w e...........................................................................................
w e.........................................................................................in the mountains.
4 I didn’t go to bed early, so I didn’t wake up at 7.00.
If I ........................................................................................ early,
I .........................................................................................at 7.00.
5 Mike didn’t make a shopping list, and he forgot to buy some coffee.
If M ike........................................................................................ ..
h e .........................................................................................some coffee.
6 I didn’t realize you were tired when I asked you to go for a walk.
If I ...........................................................................................
I ........................................................................................ for a walk.
7 The Romans didn’t sail across the Atlantic, so they didn’t reach America.
If the Romans........................................................................................ .
they.........................................................................................America.
8 I didn’t turn left at the station, and I lost my way.
If I .........................................................................................,1
.........................................................................................my way.

S EE A LSO
G r a m m a r 1 2 : C o n d itio n a ls 1
G r a m m a r 1 7 : M o d a ls 1
G r a m m a r 1 8 : M o d a ls 2

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