The Mystery of Conditionals - If Conditional

Conditionals

The Four Conditionals

What are Conditionals?

Conditionals are sentences that generally consist of two clauses, one which is dependent on the other.

So; The conditional sentence - any conditional sentence - has two parts: 

If Clause  +  ,  +  Main Clause

✅ If  you heat water to 100 degrees, | it boils. ⟹⏩ if clause | main clause

✅ Water boils | if you heat it to 100 degrees. ⟹ ⏩ main clause | if clause  

🌞 Order is not important. The "Main Clause" can come before "if clause", only you will not use a "comma" in this case.

How many forms of conditional?

The Four Forms of Conditional

• Zero Conditional
• First Conditional
• Second Conditional
• Third Conditional

ZERO CONDITIONAL

Usage:

- General truths

- General habits 

Zero Conditional - Structure

If Clause	Main Clause	Examples
Present simple	Present simple	- If it rains, I wear a coat. - If you heat metal, it expands. - If you mix red and blue, you get purple - Ice melts if you heat it.

FIRST CONDITIONAL

Usage:

- Possibly or likely things in the present or future.

First Conditional - Structure

If Clause	Main Clause	Examples
Present simple	Future Simple (Will + infinitive)	- If it rains, I will wear a coat. - If it is sunny, I will go to the beach. - If you eat too many chips, you will get fat. - If I have extra money, I will invest it.

SECOND CONDITIONAL

Usage:

- Impossible things in the present.  Hypothetical unreal situations.

Second Conditional - Structure

If Clause	Main Clause	Examples
Past simple	Would                              Could   +  Infinitive      might	- If I won the lottery, I would give you all the money. - If I had the time, I would learn Spanish. - I would be famous if I played in a big team. - If I had extra money, I would invest it.

THIRD CONDITIONAL

Usage:

- Impossible unreal situations in the past that usually indicate regret.

Third Conditional - Structure

If Clause	Main Clause	Examples
Past Perfect	Would + Perfect (Would+have+P.P.)	- If she had studied, she would have passed the exam. - If you had told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier. - If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane.

See you with the Test On Conditionals .. Good luck.