Conditional sentences have two clauses:
| "If" Clause |
"Result" Clause |
| Condition |
Result |
| Dependant Clause |
Independant Clause |
| If it is sunny tomorrow, |
we will go to the beach. |
| If you drink too much alcohol, |
you will be sick. |
| If you don't study, |
you will fail your exam. |
The clauses can be reversed:
| Condition |
Result |
| If it is sunny tomorrow, |
we will go to the beach. |
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| Result |
Condition |
| We will go to the beach |
if it is sunny tomorrow. |
If the dependent (If) clause comes first in the sentence,
you must separate them with a comma.
You shouldn't use a comma if the result clause comes first
Groups of Conditional Sentences
There are 3 groups of conditional sentences with two clauses:
| The "Real Conditions" sentences |
give us information on what will happen (the result)
if the condition is met. |
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| The "Unreal or Hypothetical Conditions" sentences |
give us information on what could happen, would happen or might happen (the result)
if the condition was met. |
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| The "Past Conditional" sentences |
are speculations on what would have happened,
what could have happened or might have happened (the result)
if the condition had been met. |
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The "Real Conditions" sentences
give us information on what will happen (the result)
if the condition is met.
| "If" Clause |
"Result" Clause |
| Condition |
Result |
| If you don't eat, |
you will die |
| If it is sunny tomorrow, |
we will go to the beach. |
| If you drink too much alcohol, |
you will be sick. |
| If she doesn't study, |
she will fail her exam. |
When you use that type of conditional sentences,
the result clause must contain a future verb tense
(it may be affirmative or negative)
and that the condition or if clause must contain a present simple verb tense.
(it,too, may be affirmative or negative)
Look at the examples below:
| Condition |
Result |
| If + Present Simple (aff.) |
Future (aff.) |
| If it is sunny tomorrow, |
we will go to the beach. |
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| If + Present Simple (aff.) |
Future (neg.) |
| If it is cloudy tomorrow, |
we won't go to the beach. |
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| If + Present Simple (aff.) |
Future (aff.) |
| If you study harder, |
you will get better results. |
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| If + Present Simple (neg.) |
Future (aff.) |
| If you don't study before the exam, |
you will fail. |
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| Result |
Condition |
| Future (aff.) |
If + Present Simple (aff.) |
| We will stay at home |
if it rains tomorrow. |
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| Future (neg.) |
If + Present Simple (aff.) |
| We won't go out |
if there is a storm tonight. |
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| Future (neg.) |
If + Present Simple (neg.) |
| She won't pass her exam |
if she doesn't study tonight. |
The "Unreal or Hypothetical Conditions" sentences
give us information on what could happen, would happen or might happen (the result)
if the condition was met.
** The condition is the opposite of the reality or the present situation.
| "If" Clause |
"Result" Clause |
| Condition |
Result |
| If you didn't eat, |
you would die |
| If I won the lottery, |
I could take a trip. |
| If it were sunny and hot, *** |
We could go to the beach. |
| If she didn't study, |
she might fail her exam. |
When you use that type of conditional sentences,
the result clause must contain the auxiliary would, could or might
(it may be affirmative or negative)
and that the condition or if clause must contain a simple past verb tense.
(it,too, may be affirmative or negative)
Look at the examples below:
| Condition |
Result |
| If + Simple Past(aff.) |
Would / Could / Might (aff.) |
| If it were sunny, *** |
we could go to the beach. |
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| If + Simple Past (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might (aff.) |
| If I had more money, |
I would stop working. |
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| If + Simple Past (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might (aff.) |
| If you worked harder, |
you would get better results. |
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| If + Simple Past (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might (neg.) |
| If I were blind, *** |
I wouldn't see. |
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| Result |
Condition |
| Would / Could / Might (neg.) |
If + Simple Past (aff.) |
| I wouldn't have to work |
if I were rich. *** |
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| Would / Could / Might (aff.) |
If + Simple Past (neg.) |
| We could go out |
if there weren't a storm tonight. *** |
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| Would / Could / Might (neg.) |
If + Present Simple (aff.) |
| She wouldn't have to pay interest |
if she paid her bills on time. |
*** It is a peculiarity of unreal conditional sentences that all persons of the verb be
are written as "were" .
If I were ...
If you were ...
If he were ...
If she were ...
If it were ...
If there were ...
If we were ...
If you were ...
If they were ...
This will likely disappear in American English
in the next few years or the next decade.
The "Past Conditional" sentences
are speculations on what would have happened,
what could have happened or might have happened (the result)
if the condition had been met.
| "If" Clause |
"Result" Clause |
| Condition |
Result |
| If you had studied, |
you would have passed your exam. |
| If he had not driven so fast, |
He could have stopped his car. |
| If he had taken better care of his health, |
he would have lived a lot longer. |
| If she had taken that plane, |
she would have died in the crash. |
When you use that type of conditional sentences,
the result clause must contain
the auxiliary would, could or might + have + the past participle form of a verb
(the result clause may be affirmative or negative)
and that the condition or if clause must contain
a past perfect verb tense (had + past participle).
(That clause,too, may be affirmative or negative)
Look at the examples below:
| Condition |
Result |
| If + Past Perfect (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might + Have + Past Participle (aff.) |
| If he had come to the party, |
he could have met Jane. |
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| If + Past Perfect (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might + Have + Past Participle (neg.) |
| If I had studied before the exam, |
I would not have failed. |
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| If + Past Perfect (aff.) |
Would / Could / Might + Have + Past Participle (aff.) |
| If you had worked harder, |
you might have gotten better results. |
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| If + Past Perfect (neg.) |
Would / Could / Might + Have + Past Participle (neg.) |
| If he hadn't told her, |
she wouldn't have known about it. |
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