When the if clause comes before the result clause, we usually separate the two clauses with a comma. When the result clause comes first, we do not use a comma:
E.g. If you share a car to work, you can save on energy
You can save on energy if you share a car to work
Zero conditional
if/ when + present simple, present simple
We use the zero conditional to talk about situations which are always true.
E.g. If I eat too much spicy food, I start to feel ill.
When I eat too much in the evening, I can't sleep at night.
if/ when/ whenever + past simple, past simple
The past simple can also be used in conditional sentences to describe real situations in the past.
E.g. If I arrived late at the office, my boss used to get really angry.
First conditional
if + present simple, will/ going to/ may/ might/ can/ could/ shall/ should/ have to/ ought to + infinitive/ imperative
We use the first conditional to talk about possible future situations and their probable results.
E.g. If you don't water the plant soon, it'll die.
If you don't water the plant soon, it could die.
We might prevent disaster if we change the way we live now.
If the people from Greenpeace call, tell them I'll call them back later.
if + should/happen to/ should happen to
We use this structure to make the event seem more unlikely or more of a chance possibility.
E.g. If you should see Davina, ask her whether she could look after the cats this weekend.
If I happen to see Mr Smith, I'll ask him for you.
If you should happen to miss the train, I could drive you there myself.
A more formal variation is to omit if and begin with should (inversion)
E.g. Should you wish to change your holiday arrangements, we will do all we can to help.
Should you require more assistance, please telephone.
Should the drought /draʊt/ continue, many people will be forced to leave their villages.
Note
if can sometimes be followed by will, would or going to, for example when making polite requests or describing the result of a course of action.
E.g. If you would take a seat for a moment, I'll tell Mr Graydon you're here.
If it is going to be more profitable for the company, then I think we should do it.
I'll clean the house if you'll mow the lawn.
Second conditional
if + past simple/ past continuous, would/ might/ could + infinitive
We use the second conditional to talk about imaginary, unlikely or impossible situations in the present and future.
E.g. If I had an extra pair of hands, then I could help you!
I might work harder if they paid me more.
If it wasn't/weren't for + noun
E.g. I think I'd be quite lonely if it wasn't/ weren't for my dog, Buster. (= if I didn't have)
If it weren't for my savings, I wouldn't be able to survive (= Thanks to my savings I can survive)
Were it not for + noun
E.g. Were it not for my dog, Buster, I think I'd be quite lonely.
if + were to + infinitive makes the event seem more unlikely.
E.g. If you were to walk in that direction for another thousand miles, you'd eventually arrive in Warsaw.
A more formal variation is to omit if and begin with were...to or were... (inversion)
E.g. Were they to break the contract, we would of course take legal action.
Were you to go out in this weather, you'd be thoroughly soaked
Were I not your father, I would not be concerned about what you wear
If I weren't your father...
Third conditional
if + past perfect, would/ might/ could/ should + perfect infinitive
We use the third conditional to speculate about how things might have been different in the past.
E.g. If you had been paying attention, you might have understood what I was saying. (= You weren't paying attention, so you didn't understand.)
A lot more people would have been trapped by the flood if there hadn't been a warning.
If it hadn't been for + noun
E.g. If it hadn't been for your help, I wouldn't have been able to quit gambling. (= if I hadn't had)
If it hadn't been for that traffic jam on the motorway, we would have got here on time. (= Because of the traffic jam we arrived late.)
Had it not been for + noun
E.g. Had it not been for your help, I wouldn't have been able to quit gambling.
But for/ without
E.g. But for your help, I wouldn't have been able to quit gambling.
He would have played but for a knee injury.
Without their help, Emma couldn't have overcome her problems.
You shouldn't take these pills without consulting your doctor.
A more formal variation is to omit if and begin with had (inversion)
E.g. Had she known about his criminal past, she would never have employed him.
Had I known there was going to be a storm, I would have stayed indoors.
Had Charles Darwin not visited the Galapagos Islands, he might never have developed his theory of evolution.
Had we not attended the meeting, we would have han no idea of the council's plans. (Note that not goes after the subject).
Mixed conditionals
if + past tense, might/ could/ should/ would + perfect infinitive
We use this structure for situations in the present which affect the past.
E.g. If I weren't so untidy, I wouldn't have lost your keys.
If I weren't so broke at the moment, I could have bought you something decent for your birthday.
if + past perfect, would/ might/ could + infinitive
We use this structure to speculate about how a different situation in the past might have had different results in the present.
E.g. If I had moved to California, I would be much richer today.
If you hadn't stayed up to watch the film last night, you wouldn't be so tired now
Other words and phrases that introduce conditionals
Providing (that)/provided (that)/ as/so long as/ on condition (that) are similar to only if. They are all emphatic forms emphasising a condition.
E.g. Providing that you have the money in your account, you can withdraw up to £100 a day.
You can have a pet provided that you promise to look after it properly.
We'll buy everything you produce, provided of course the price is right.
We'll go up to the mountains this weekend as long as the weather's okay.
Applications for membership are accepted on condition that applicants are over 18.
Suppose / Supposing/ Imagine/ what if can be used instead of if, particularly in speech. They are used at the beginning of the sentence setting up the condition.
E.g. Suppose it rains tomorrow. What will we do?
Suppose the price of oil tripled tomorrow. What do you think would happen?
Supposing you ran out of money, what would you do?
Supposing you had met the president, what would you have said?
Imagine you lost your job. Do you think you'd be able to find another?
Imagine you had missed the flight, what would you have done?
What if the iceberg tipped over (fell), could the fishing boats have escaped?
If so/ not
E.g. Are you concerned about the environment? If so, you might be interested in joining Greenpeace.
Do you have the potential to be a concert pianist? If not, give yourself a break and do something else. (= If you don't have the potential)
Otherwise (= if...not)
E.g. You should have your air conditioner serviced, otherwise you'll waste a lot of energy.
Unless/ except when (= if...not)
E.g. Unless governments act now, the environment is really going to suffer.
I won't give a waiter a tip except when/ unless I get excellent service.
In the event of (= if something happens)
E.g. In the event of the alarm sounding, visitors should leave the zoo by the nearest exit
In case of + noun
E.g. In case of fire, leave the building by the nearest emergency exit.
In case (= as a precaution)
E.g. Take a coat with you in case the weather gets worse.
Even if introduces an extreme condition (= whether or not).
E.g. Well, it's true, even if you refuse to believe me.
Even though (= despite the fact that)
E.g. I like her, even though she can be annoying at times.
Given that is used when some fact is already known (= Since/Because).
E.g. Given that this area is liable to flood, it would be unwise in the extreme to consider buying a house here.
Whether...or not
E.g. Whether you agree with Paul McKenna or not, you'll enjoy reading his book.
Assuming that (= in the possible situation that)
E.g. Assuming that the company paid for you, would you take the course?
If + -ing
E.g. If talking helps, you can call a friend.
If + past participle
E.g. If taken too seriously, self-help books can be depressing.
If in doubt (= if you are in doubt/ if you are not sure)
E.g. If in doubt, consult a specialist.
If necessary (if you need to)
E.g. If necessary, you can take a pill to help you calm down.
It would be a pity if
E.g. It would be a pity if you couldn't express your emotions.
2. Speaking
1. Talk about the pictures using conditionals.
2. What happened if you did something wrong when you were a kid?
3. What do you do if you don't feel comfortable with a topic that is being discussed or with inquisitive questions targeted at you?
4. What will you do if you should happen to pass all your exams at the end of this academic year?
5. Should you happen to meet an old flame at a party, what may you do ?
6. Should you oversleep the next time you have something important to do first thing in the morning, what might you do ?
7. What will you do if you happen to be caught in a traffic jam and not be able to come to class?
8. What may happen unless governments act now?
9. In the event of another economic downturn, what should be done differently?
10. What would happen if scientists were to develop a vaccine for COVID-19?
11. If all students were to go to university, what could happen?
12. Were you to find out your friend's partner is cheating on him/her, what would you do?
13. Were you to get an awful Christmas present from your mother-in-law, would you tell her how you felt about it?
14. Were you to be called names in front of a large number of people, what might you do?
15. Think of an important person in your life. Were it not for this person, what couldn't you have done?
16. What would you have done if you hadn’t come here today?
17. Had you not decided to learn English, how might your life be different?
18. Had it not been for a lack of time, what could you have done this week?
19. Suppose you had been born a member of the opposite sex, in what ways would your life be different now?
20. What if you had always followed your parents’ advice, might you have been more successful?
21. Imagine you had won the lottery recently, what changes would have taken place in your life?
22. Assuming that you had found 500 Euros on your way here today, what would you have done?
23. If you had been given a return ticket to travel back in time, what historical period would you have chosen? Why?
3. A Story
POGO & THE MYSTERY OBJECT
Part one: Pogo
Pogo is an interesting character
I would use three adjectives to describe him:
The first adjective:
You might use this word to describe a child that asks a lot questions
Someone who wants to know things
(The answer =
curious)
The second adjective means that you don’t want to do anything that requires an effort
You love lying on the sofa doing nothing
You hate work
(The answer =
lazy)
The third adjective means that you like eating – too much!
It can also be about money
No matter how much money you have, you want more
(The answer =
greedy)
Pogo doesn’t care about money
But he loves eating and he loves sleeping
And he’s a curious creature
Pogo is also a creature of ....
habit
Every day at the same time, he likes to take
an afternoon siesta in the sun
And that’s exactly what he is doing today when suddenly …
THUD!
That was the sound of the mystery object
Part two: A parachute jump
Have you ever jumped out of a plane?
I mean, have you ever done a parachute jump?
If not, would you do it if you had the opportunity?
*Would you do a parachute jump if it meant a week off school to prepare?
*Would you do it for a million euros?
*Would you do it if you were on a plane that was going down (about to crash) and it was the only way to survive?
Imagine this:
You are going to do a parachute jump
You are already on the plane
You are at an altitude of about 1,000 metres
And the door of the plane is already open
Can you hear the sound of the wind scraping across the door?
scrape: /skreɪp/ (=make sound) chirriar; (=rub) to scrape (against) pasar rozando to scrape past pasar rozando we just managed to scrape through the gap nos costó pasar por la abertura sin tocar las paredes
How would you feel?
If I....
If I were about to do a parachute jump, I would feel...
What would you be thinking?
If I .....
If I were on the point of doing a parachute jump, I would be thinking that/about/of....
As you prepare to jump, in your hand, you are holding an object
It can be anything you like:
Something personal; something practical
Anything you like, as long as it can fit in your hand.
Show me one hand
Now search your bag and get an object that can fit in your hand
Raise your objects so that we can see them
Can you tell us why you have chosen this object.
Show, tell and explain.
Now, some bad news:....
The plane hits a little bit of turbulence
As a result, ....
you drop your object
It escapes out the door of the plane
And it starts to fall towards this planet that ....
we call Earth
How would you feel about that?
Disappointed?
You would have lost your object forever
Worried?
It might land on someone’s head.
If I were to drop my object, I would feel...
Part three: Back to Pogo
Don’t worry
Your object didn’t land on anyone’s head
You know exactly where it has landed:
Any predictions?
Right beside Pogo
This curious creature
Who was taking ...
(remember he is lazy)
an afternoon siesta in the sun
Pogo wakes up
And what do you think he does?
(remember he is curious)
He comes to investigate
What could this mystery object be?
He sniffs it
And then he tries to
(remember he is greedy)
eat it
What a greedy pig!
And the interesting thing: This is a true story
And the question is: What was the mystery object?
It could have been an apple but it wasn’t
If it had been an apple, we would know nothing about this story
And this is a true story
It could have been a tennis ball but it wasn’t
If it had been a tennis ball, we would know nothing about this story
And this is a true story
It could have been a hamster but it wasn’t
If it had been a hamster, we would know nothing about this story
And this is a true story
So what was it?
I. C. H. B. A. __________ B. I. W.
I. I. H. B. A. __________, W. W. K. N. A. T. S.
And this is a true story!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrxPuk0JefA
KEY
The mystery object was a GoPro camera.
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