Conditional Sentences

Conditional Sentences

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as "the unreal past" because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using "unless" instead of "if".

Conditional Sentence Type 1

Often called the "real" conditional because it is used for real or possible situations. These situations take place if a certain condition is met. It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form:

If + Simple Present, + Simple Future

Use

Conditional Sentences Type 1 refer to the future. An action in the future will only happen if a certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We don't know for sure whether the condition actually will be fulfilled or not, but the conditions seems rather realistic – so we think it is likely to happen.

Example:

If I have enough time, I'll watch the football match.

I may have time to watch the match but I'm not sure about it.

Conditional Sentence Type 2

Often called the "unreal" conditional because it is used for unreal impossible or improbable situations. This conditional provides an imaginary result for a given situation. It is very unlikely that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form:

if + Simple Past, + would + base verb

Were / Was

In conditional type 2, we usually use in the if clause "were" instead of "was" even if the pronoun is I, he, she or it. "were" here is a subjunctive form.

NOTE "was" is also a possible form.

Example:

If I were a millionaire, I would buy a castle.

Use

Conditional Sentences Type 2 refer to an action in the present that could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change because it is very unlikely.

Example:

If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world.

Conditional Sentence Type 3

It is impossible that the condition will be met because it refers to the past.

Form:

if + Past Perfect, + would + have + Past Participle

Use

Conditional Sentences Type 3 refer to situations in the past. They express hypothetical results to past given situations.

Example:

If he had been careful, he wouldn't have had that terrible accident.

Sometimes in the past, he was careless. He drove so fast. So he had a terrible accident

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-conditionals.php

1. If the students _____ late to submit the scholarship application to the board, they will not be listed as candidates.

    A. be

    B. are

    C. were

    D. have

Answer : B

Keyword : will not be listed

2. If your brother ______ here, he ______ us with this works.

    A. is - would help

    B. was - will help

    C. were - will help

    D. were - would help

Answer : D

Keyword : If

3. Aldo : Did you attend the meeting last Monday?

    Fery : I would if I had been invited.

    The underlined utterance means ______.

    A. Fery didn’t attend the meeting

    B. Fery plans to attend the meeting

    C. Fery knew about the meeting and he attended the meeting

    D. Fery was not invited to the meeting but he came

Answer : A

Keyword : I would if I had been invited

4. You _____ the job if you were not late to the interview.

    A. would get

    B. would be gotten

    C. would have gotten

    D. would have been gotten

Answer : A

Keyword : were not late

5. We would get the tickets, ______

    A. Weren’t there so much rush at the cinema

    B. Because there were so much rush at the cinema

    C. There were not so much rush at the cinema

    D. Although there were so much rush at the cinema

Answer : D

Keyword : would get