conditionals

conditionals

1. It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true. If it rains, I won't go to the park.

2. 1st conditional

3. 2nd conditonal

   • talks about things that I don't think will really happen. It's subjective; it depends on my point of view. For example (first conditional): If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam (I think it's possible she will study harder and so she'll pass) But (second conditional): If she studied harder, she would pass the exam (I think that she won't study harder, or it's very unlikely, and so she won't pass)
     • inverted conditionals
       • If you should require any further information, please contact us at our office in Green Street. (formal) Should you require any further information, please contact us at our office in Green Street. (more formal than the previous example) In unreal conditionals it is common to find inversions in formal language. Were the negotiations to fall through, it would bring about unforeseen problems. (If the negotiations were to fall through,...) Had I known about Mr Smith's behaviour sooner , I would have fired him immediately. (If I had known about Mr Smith's behaviour sooner,...)
         • In negative clauses with inversion, we don't use contracted forms: Had the people not been informed, the situation would have been much worse.

4. 3rd conditional

   • It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation. If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know she didn't study and so she didn't pass)

5. mixed conditionals

   • It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times, and the resulting sentence is a "mixed conditional" sentence. There are two types of mixed conditional sentence.
     • PRESENT RESULT OF A PAST CONDITION
       • If this thing had happene that thing would happen.
         • This type of mixed conditional refers to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. These sentences express a situation which is contrary to reality both in the past and in the present. If we had looked at the map we wouldn't be lost.
     • PAST RESULT OF PRESENT OR CONTINUING CONDITION
       • If this thing happened that thing would have happened.
         • refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) pas result. In these mixed conditional sentences, the time in the if clause is now or always and the time in the main clause is before now. If I wasn't afraid of spiders, I would have picked it up.