2. CONDITIONAL SENTENCES STRUCTURE
Conditional Clause Result Clause Examples
FIRST CONDITIONAL
If Future Simple If you study something practical, you will
+ Pr. Simple + base have a profession.
Unless form You will meet a lot of people if you go to uni.
May/might If she is free tomorrow, she may/might want
imperative to come.
Look for a summer job unless you want to
travel abroad
SECOND CONDITIONAL
If Would If I had the opportunity, I would become an
+ Past Simple + base form engineer
Unless Could/might I could/might visit London if my friends were
there.
THIRD CONDITIONAL
If Would have If you had listened to me, this wouldn’t
+ Past Perfect + past have happened.
Unless participle He could/might have studied at university if
Could/might have he had wanted to.
3. CONDITIONAL SENTENCES USE
1st Conditional expresses what will happen if the
condition is accomplished.
If I finish the project soon, I will go to the cinema with you.
2nd Conditional makes reference to the present , but
it is hypothetical, i.e., it is not very probable to
happen.
If you told him, he would understand the situation.
3rd Conditional does not express a condition,
because it makes reference to the past and the
hypothesis is not possible anymore.
You would have learnt to play the guitar sooner if you had
taken classes.
4. In the negative, or we use the verb of the
conditional clause in the negative or we use the
affirmative with conjunction unless, which
means if not.
He won’t believe anything unless we prove it is
true.
In 2nd Conditional, if the verb of the conditional
clause is to be, we usually use were in singular
and plural persons.
If that camera weren’t so expensive, I would buy it.
And we always use were with pronoun I when
we are giving advice
If I were you, I would ask my parents for
permission.
5. Temporary Sentences
Reference to the future is done with 1st
conditional: Present simple in the
conditional clause and will in the result
clause. What we change is the
conjunction: when, by the time, as soon
as, etc.
When I get home, I’ll call you.
I will buy a car as soon as I pass my
driving test.
6. WISH CLAUSES
FORM USES EXAMPLES
Wish/If only Refers to a present If only I had a computer.
+ Past Simple situation that the He wishes his friends
speaker is unhappy were here now.
about
Wish/If only Expresses regret about If only I hadn’t lost my
+Past Perfect a past action or situation mobile phone!
I wish he had called me.
Wish + Expresses a desire for I wish I could go to
could/would something to happen in university.
+ base form the future I like Jack so much. If
only he would call me!
7. If the subject of wish and that of the
verb in the base form are different, we
use would.
I wish/if only the weather would
improve.
If the verb in Past Simple is to be, we
use were in all the persons (subjunctive
feature).
I wish/If only it were that simple!
