Conditional Clauses

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

We often use if to express a condition. We can use conditional sentences in a number of different ways: for example to request, advise, criticize, suggest, offer, warn or threaten.

If you're going into college, I could give you a lift.

Here there is a conditional clause (If you're going into college) and a main clause (I could give you a lift).

Conditions can be open or unreal.

Open: If it rains tomorrow, I won't go.

Unreal: If I was a bit taller, I could reach.

Conditions express different degrees of reality. For example, a condition can be open or unreal.

ZERO CONDITIONAL.

The form of the zero conditional causes no problems since the present tenses are used in both clauses. The zero conditional is normally used to talk about facts and to express general truths.

Zero-type conditionals

If clause Main or conditional clause

If + Present tense Present tense

If you heat water it boils.

The pattern is if...+ present... + present.

Examples.

If the doorbell rings, the dog barks.

If you heat iron, it expands.

Here the pattern means that one thing always follows automatically from another. We can use when instead of if.

If/When I reverse the car, it makes a funny noise.

(= Every time I reverse the car)

Here the pattern means that one thing always follows automatically from another. We can use when instead of if.

If/When I reverse the car, it makes a funny noise.

(= Every time I reverse the car...)

We can also use Type 0 for the automatic result of a possible future action.

If the team win tomorrow, they get promotion to a higher league.

This is an open condition. It leaves open the question of whether the team will win

or not.

TYPE 1 CONDITIONAL.

The basic form for this type of conditional sentence can be seen in the chart below. As before, the order of the clauses can be changed with no change in meaning. This type refers to future possibilities that are certain or probable.

First-type conditionals

If clause Main or conditional clause

If + Present tense Future tense

If they don't arrive soon

If they are late we'll leave without them.

I'm going to be angry.

You will note that on the if side of the sentence any present tense can be used, while in the main clause the speaker is free to choose any future that helps to express any additional meaning that the speaker wants to express

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