1. TDC 1
KEY 15 – CONDITIONALS (IF
CLAUSES) AND WISH
Polliana de Paula

2. Typical ELL Errors: Noticing the gap
1. *If I suddenly have a million dollars, the first
thing that I would do is to quit my job today.
2. *We wish we can go to the concert
tomorrow, but we already have something else
that we have to do.
3. *If you had studied this chapter more
thoroughly, you won’t be so confused by this
sentence.
4. *If we would have bought them online, we could
have gotten our concert tickets for half-price.
5. I’m confused about this grammar. *I wish I have
understood the rules for making sentences with
wish.

3. What is a conditional sentence?
It expresses the idea that the action in
the main clause (the result clause) can
only happen if a certain condition (the
clause that begins with if) is fulfilled.
Condition Result
If I were you, I wouldn’t buy that car.
It is possible to reverse the order of the
clauses without altering its meaning.
Result Condition
I wouldn’t buy that car if I were you.

4. In actual communication, the if clause is often
understood even if it is not mentioned.
Result Unstated Condition
I wouldn’t buy that car. (If I were you.)
We must use a comma after an
introductory if clause.
Condition, result. If you study more, you will pass the test.
Result condition. You will pass the test if you study more.

5. Types of Conditional Sentences
There are four types of conditional
sentences:
1. zero (that is not a true conditional, but it
is considered so because of the use of
the word if)
2. first
3. second
4. third

6. Zero Conditional
This type of conditional sentences express facts
or situations that are always true in the present
or were always true in the past. We can
substitute when or whenever for if and not
change the meaning of the sentence.
Condition Result
If + simple present tense Simple present tense
If it rains, I stay home.
If + simple past tense Simple past tense
If I had any questions about I called my good friend
Arabic while I was living in Ahmed in Washington, DC.
Saudi Arabia,

7. First Conditional
First conditional sentences express an action
that is likely to happen.
Condition (Future Time) Result (Future Time)
If + simple present tense
If it rains,
If + present progressive tense
If it is raining, Future tense.
I will stay home.
If + present perfect tense
If it has rained,
If + present perfect progressive
tense
If it has been raining,

8. Second Conditional
Unreal (not true or not possible)
Second conditionals express something
that is not true or not possible.
Condition Result
(Present or Future Time) ( Present or Future Time)
If + simple past tense
If it rained, Would + VERB
If + past progressive tense I would stay home.
If it were raining,
Although the verb form used looks like simple
past tense, it is actually subjunctive mood.
If I were you, I wouldn’t buy that car.
If today were her birthday, she would organize a party.

9. Third Conditional
Third Conditionals express an action that
did not happen.
Condition Result
(Past Time) ( Past Time)
If + past perfect tense
If it had rained, Would have + PAST PARTICIPLE
I would have stayed home.
If + past perfect progressive tense
If it had been raining,

10. Mixed Conditional Sentences
This type of sentence is used to talk about
conditions from the past that affect a result
in the present or future, and sometimes
also to talk about conditions of the present
(facts) that would have affected a certain
result in the past. These mixed sentences
are quite common in real communication.

11. Mixed Conditionals
Condition Result
If he were rich, (present time) he would have bought that BMW
yesterday. (past time)
If he had become a citizen, (past he would vote in tomorrow’s
time) election . (future time)
If I weren’t taking my car to the I would have lent you my car. (past
shop tomorrow, (future time) time)
If you were giving a big speech you’d be busy planning it right now.
tomorrow, (future time) (present time)

12. Omission of If
With conditional clauses that contain were, had
or should, we can omit the word if and then
invert the subject and the verb.
If he were here, he would lead the discussion skillfully.
Were he here,
I f they had known about the fundraiser, they would have made a donation.
Had they known about the fundraiser,
If you should find an electronic please, let me know. I’ve lost mine.
dictionary,
Should you find an electronic dictionary,

13. Contractions
Teacher has to help student notice the
sound of would when it’s contracted using
direct instruction. ELLs can hardly hear this
sound, so they are not likely to acquire it.
If you’d told me, I could have helped you.
(you’d = you had)
If the course were easier, you’d be able to
make a better grade.
(you’d = you would)

14. Wish
Wish sentences are similar in meaning to
unreal conditions in the present, future, or
past. The situation is not true, does not
exist, is unlikely to happen, or did not
happen. It expresses you want the opposite
of the real situation to be true.
The verb wish is usually in a tense that is
one time earlier than the actual time of the
action.

15. Wish
Situation Change Sentence
I didn’t study last night. Past time > past perfect I wish I had studied last
tense night.
I don’t study much. Present time > past My dad wishes I
tense studied more.
I won’t study tonight. will > would My dad wishes I would
study tonight.
I can’t go tomorrow. can > could I wish I could go
tomorrow.

16. What ELLs should know: Common
mistakes
1. Don’t use past tense to talk about past conditions.
Wrong: If I studied more last week, I would have passed yesterday’s exam.
Correct: If I had studied more last week, I would have passed yesterday’s exam
2. Don’t use present tense to talk about present conditions
Wrong: If I know Spanish, I would translate this letter for you right now.
Correct: If I knew Spanish, I would translate this letter for you right now.
3. When the verb to be is used to talk about unreal conditions, use were
instead of was for all persons.
Wrong: If I was you, I would memorize this rule about unreal conditions.
Correct: If I were you, I would memorize this rule about unreal conditions.
4. Don’t get confused by the contracted forms used with conditionals.
If I’d had more time last month, I’d have finished reading that novel.
(had had) ( I would have finished)
5. Wish sentences follow the same pattern for if clauses. The tense used
is always one before the time being spoken.
Wrong: Who is that girl? I wish I know her name.
Correct: Who is that girl? I wish I knew her name.

17. Lesson Plan
Second Conditional
 Hand each pair of students a paper containing a situation,
e.g.
“I’ve got a great girlfriend and we’ve been together for about
six months. It was getting pretty serious but now I’m not so
sure. You see, I saw my ex-girlfriend again at a party last
Saturday and I think she feels we made a big mistake and
that she wants us to start going out together again! I think I
feel the same. What do I do? How do I tell my girlfriend that I
think we should break up?” Barry, 21
Students discuss the situations in pairs. What would they say
to this person?

18. Lesson Plan
Second Conditional
 Then I would put on a table a set of
psychologist’s advice, and then students
would come, pick the piece of advice that fits
the description, read it in pairs and comment.
 Was their previous comment similar to the
psychologist comment? If not, do you agree with
her comments? Would you consider her opinions
to solve this problem if you were her?

19. Lesson Plan
Second Conditional
 Psychologist advice
“Are you really sure about your ex-girlfriend’s feelings for you? Don’t you
think you might be making another mistake? If I were you, I would talk to
her a bit more before you say anything to your girlfriend.”
 Then I would call their attention to the use of If I were/ did/ etc. (Use of
second conditional) in the sentences. They would exchange opinions as a
whole group using the structure learned.
 Practice: Hand students slips of paper and they have to discuss in pairs
what they would do if
 A friend lied to him/her
 You had a crush on someone
 You felt unhappy about a relationship
 Your parents didn’t approve of your friends
 Your partner wanted to stay home all the time

20. Homework
Golden Book (pages 198-200)
 3.15.15
 3.15.19
 3.15.20