Conditional Sentences

English 8
Conditions deal with imagined situations:
some are possible,
some are unlikely,
some are impossible.
Conditional clauses are usually introduced
by the subordinating conjunction if:

If it rains, well stay in the house.
The first conditional
If + present simple +
future tense (e.g. will / shall)
or modal verb with future reference (e.g.may)

A speaker or writer predicts a likely result in
the future if the condition is fulfilled.

If Sally comes too, therell be five of us.



If they promote her, shell get a big pay
rise.
We wont have enough time if we want to
do some shopping too.

Unless = if not
She wont come unless you invite her
personally. (= She wont come if you dont
invite her personally.)
Unless you can reduce the weight of that
case, Im afraid you wont be allowed on
the flight. (= If you cant reduce )

Put the verbs in brackets into
the correct tense.
1. If it ___ this evening, I wont go out. (rain)
2. If I need your help, I ___ you. (ask)
3. Everyone will be surprised if he ___ the
exam. (pass)
4. Hurry up! Ann will be annoyed if we ___
late. (be)
5. You wont pass the exam unless you ___
more. (study)
1. If it rains this evening, I wont go out.
2. If I need your help, I will ask (Ill ask)
you.
3. Everyone will be surprised if he passes
the exam.
4. Hurry up! Ann will be annoyed if we are
late.
5. You wont pass the exam unless you
study more.

The second conditional
If + past simple tense +
would / could/ might + infinitive

A speaker or writer responds to a possible
or hypothetical situation by indicating a
possible outcome. The condition must be
fulfilled for the present or future to be
different.
If I knew what you wanted, maybe I could
help you. (I dont know what you want.
You must tell me.)
I would do a computer course if I had the
time. (I dont have the time.)
If I were you, I would tell him the truth.
or: If I was you (I am not you.)
Put the verbs in brackets into
the correct tense.
1. If I found Php100 in the street, I ___ it. (keep)
2. If she sold her car, she ___ much money for it.
(not / get)
3. Many people would be out of work if that
factory ___ down. (close)
4. What would happen if you ___ to work
tomorrow? (not / go)
5. They might be angry if I ___ them. (not / visit)
6. If I was offered the job, I think I ___ it. (take)
1. If I found Php100 in the street, I would keep it.
2. If she sold her car, she wouldnt get much
money for it.
3. Many people would be out of work if that
factory closed down.
4. What would happen if you didnt go to work
tomorrow? (not / go)
5. They might be angry if I didnt visit them.
6. If I was offered the job, I think I would take it.
(take)

The third conditional
If + past perfect tense +
modal verb (e.g. would / could / might)
+ perfect infinitive (have + past participle)

An imagined past situation is described. We
are talking about a past event which did
not happen, and therefore things are
different from how they might have been.
If I had seen you walking, I could have
offered you a lift. (I didnt see you.)
Tessa would have been furious if she had
heard him say that. (She didnt hear him.)
If she had gone there, she might have
enjoyed it. (She didnt go there.)
Put the verbs in brackets into
the correct tense.
1. I ___ out if I hadnt been so tired. (go)
2. If I ___ you, I would have said hello.
(see)
3. We could have gone out yesterday if the
weather ___ so bad. (not / be)
4. If I ___ that you were ill last week, Id
have gone to see you. (know)
5. I would have been late for the interview if
I ___ the bus. (miss)






1. I would have gone out if I hadnt been so
tired.
2. If I had seen you, I would have said
hello.
3. We could have gone out yesterday if the
weather hadnt been so bad.
4. If I had known that you were ill last week,
Id have gone to see you.
5. I would have been late for the interview if
I had missed the bus.

Real situations
If you want to learn the guitar, you really
need to practise for at least a couple of
hours a day. (for any person who wants to
learn)
If I criticised her unfairly, then I always
apologized. (It did sometimes happen that
I criticised her and I did apologise.)

If you have a toothache as bad as that,
you must go to a dentist today.
If steel is exposed to air and water, it
resists rust for a considerable length of
time.
If you are getting backache all the time,
then you are not sitting properly.
Come over tomorrow around five unless
my secretary contacts you.
Complete the sentences with the correct
form of the verb in brackets.
1. Fleas can jump up to thirty centimetres. If
humans ___ (be) as good at jumping as
fleas, theyd be able to jump 300 metres!
2. Some worms will eat themselves if they
___ (not find) enough food.
3. If she knew how pointless it is, perhaps
she ___ (stop) doing it.
4. If we leave the dog alone all day, it ___
(destroy) the furniture.
5. If I had a million dollars, I ___ (buy) you a
beautiful house.
6. If I had gone to the party last night, I ___
(be) tired now.
7. If I had gone to the party last night, I ___
(see) Ann.
8. If we ___ (play) better, we might have
won.
9. We ___ (go) out if the weather hadnt
been so bad.
10. If I were you, I ___ (not buy) that coat.

11. We wouldnt have any money if we ___
(not work).
12. If you stopped smoking, you ___ (feel)
healthier.
13. If the museum charges for entry, a lot of
people ___ (not be able) to visit it.
14.If we had paid our cleaner more, she ___
(not leave) us.
15. I wouldnt be willing to help you unless
you ___ (pay) me.

Answers
1. Fleas can jump up to thirty centimetres. If humans were
as good at jumping as fleas, theyd be able to jump 300
metres!
2. Some worms will eat themselves if they dont find
enough food.
3. If she knew how pointless it is, perhaps she would stop
doing it.
4. If we leave the dog alone all day, it will destroy the
furniture.
5. If I had a million dollars, I would buy you a beautiful
house.
6. If I had gone to the party last night, I would be tired
now.
7. If I had gone to the party last night, I would have seen
Ann.


8. If we had played better, we might have won.
9. We would have gone out if the weather hadnt been so
bad.
10. If I were you, I wouldnt buy that coat
11. We wouldnt have any money if we didnt work.
12. If you stopped smoking, you would feel healthier.
13. If the museum charges for entry, a lot of people wont
be able to visit it.
14. If we had paid our cleaner more, she wouldnt have left
us.
15. I wouldnt be willing to help you unless you paid me.


Read a situation and write a sentence with if.
Example: We dont visit you so often because you live so
far away.
If you didnt live so far away, we would visit you more
often.
1. People dont understand him because he doesnt speak
very clearly.

If he spoke (more) clearly, people would understand
him.
2. Im not going to buy that book because its too
expensive.

If that book wasnt/werent so expensive, I would buy it.






3. We cant have lunch in the garden because it is raining.

If it wasnt/werent raining we could (would be able to)
have lunch in the garden
4. The accident happened because the driver in front
stopped suddenly.

If the driver in front hadnt stopped suddenly, the
accident wouldnt have happened.
5. I didnt wake John because I didnt know he wanted to
get up early.

If I had known John wanted to get up early, I would have
woken him.



6. You are hungry now because you didnt have breakfast.

If youd had (had had) breakfast, you wouldnt be
hungry now.
7. She didnt buy the shoes because she didnt have
enough money on her.

If shed had (had had) enough money on her, she
would have bought the shoes.
8. She doesnt go out very often because she cant walk
without help.

If she could walk without help, she would go out more
often.


The End