9

Conditionals; Other
Ways to Express
Unreality

Experiences of an
International Traveler

Focus on Grammar 5
Part IX, Unit 23
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tired Traveler
I wish I
could brush
my teeth
right now.

If I had more
money, I
would stay at
better hotels.

If only I had
found a taxi.

If the airport
hadnt lost my
luggage, I
wouldnt have
been delayed.

Real Conditionals
Real conditionals are sentences that describe situations that occur regularly or are likely or
possible in the future.

In present-time
situations, use the simple
present in both clauses
to describe habitual or
regularly occurring
actions.

In future-time
situations, use the
simple present in the if
clause and the future
with will or be going to
in the result clause.

If we dont get to the station on time, the train will leave without
us.

If I dont put sunscreen

on, I get a bad sunburn.

Unreal Conditionals
Unreal conditionals are sentences that describe
situations that are untrue, unlikely, or impossible in the
present or the past.

In present-time
situations, use the
simple past in the
if clause and
would, could, or
might plus the
base form of the
verb in the result
clause.

She doesnt have enough

money and she wont
visit Paris.

If I had enough
money, I would
visit Paris.

Present Unreal Conditionals

Use the simple past in the if clause. If the verb is be,
use were for all persons. Use could, might, or would
+ base form in the result clause.
Wheres my wallet?

If I were a better planner I

wouldnt travel without a map

He didnt travel with a

map, so he got lost.

If he were more careful, he would notice that his

wallet was missing.

Past Unreal Conditionals

Use the past unreal conditional for past unreal, untrue, imagined, or
impossible conditions and their unreal results. Use the past perfect in the
if clause. Use could, might, or would + have + past participle in the
result clause.

Wheres my wallet?

If I had looked at a map, I

wouldnt have gotten lost

He didnt look at a
map, so he got lost.
If he had been more careful,
he might have noticed his
wallet was missing.

Look at the chart and complete

the conditionals with your own
ideas.

Practice 1
Real

Unreal

Past Unreal
If + past perfect

If + simple past
If + simple present

If + simple present

AND

AND

simple present

will + base form verb

AND

AND
would/could/might

would/could/might
+ have

+ base form verb

+ past participle verb

Examples:
If I had enough money,
I would travel to Asia.
If I have enough money,
I will travel to Asia.
If I had had a lot of money,
I would have traveled to Asia.

1. If I visit Europe,
2. , I might not have gotten sick.
3. If we took an airplane,
4. If we had made reservations,
5. , I would learn Russian.

Wish 1
Use wish + could / would + base form to
express a wish about the future.

I wish that baby

would stop crying.

This is what he wants, but

he is not sure if the baby
will change his behavior.

Wish 2
Use wish + the simple past to express a
wish about the present.

I wish I
caught an
earlier flight.

I wish I had
more leg
room.

Wish 3
Use wish + the past perfect to express a
wish about the past.
The man ate the
airplane food.

I wish I hadnt
eaten that
airplane food.

Hope and Wish

Dont confuse hope and wish.
I hope I get
to the plane
on time.

Use hope to
express a desire
about events that
are possible or
probable.

I wish (that) I
didnt have so
much luggage.

Use wish to express

regrets about things
that are unlikely or
impossible to change.

If Only
If only can also be used to express wishes.
If only they wouldnt
leave me here for the
rest of my life.
Present
If only they
could see me.

Future

Use the pictures to make

statements using wish and if only.
Make statements about the
present, future, and past.

Practice 2
Example:

I wish I could take

the bus.
If only Id make
my flight.

1.

2.

3.

References
Copyright 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.