Conditional Sentences are also known as conditional clause or if clauses. They are used to express that in the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of conditional sentences.
OVERVIEW OF BASIC VERB FORMS USED IN CONDITIONAL SENTENCES | |||
SITUATION | IF-CLAUSE | RESULT CLAUSE | EXAMPLES |
True in the present/future | Simple present | Simple present Will + simple form | If I have enough time, I watch TV every evening. If I have enough time, I will watch TV later on tonight. |
Untrue in the present/future | Simple past | Would + simple form | If I had enough time, I would watch TV now or later on. |
Untrue in the past | Past perfect | Would have + past participle | If I had have enough time, I would have watched TV yesterday. |
Or to make it easy to understand, we can use this list:
Type | If clause | Result clause | Situatiom |
1 | Present tense S + V1 | Future tense S + Will + V1 | Real in present/ future |
2 | Pasr tense S + V2 | Past future S + Would + V1 | Unreal in present/ future |
3 | Past perfect S + Had + V3 | Past future perfect S + have/has + V3 | Unreal in past |
NOTES:
In writting conditional sentences, we may put the “IF CLAUSE” before the “RESULT CLAUSE” and vice vista.
However, we must put comma (,) at the end of the “RESULT CLAUSE” if the “IF CLAUSE” is put before the “RESULT CLAUSE”.
Also, the meaning of fact must be on the contrary with the conditional sentence. So, if the conditional sentence is in positive form, the fact will be in negative one and vice vista.
EXAMPLES
A. Conditional sentence type 1
· I will fix your bicycle if I have a screwdriver of the proper size.
· Jack will shave today if he has a sharp razor.
· If I have an apple to breakfast, I will give you my oatmeals.
· If I have my computer back, I will do your homework.
· Yayan will go to the college if Amanda goes too.
· I will play my role if you keep my secret.
· Kaitlin will forgive your mistake if you promise to do her task every day.
· We will not go skating if you think the ice is dangerously thin.
· I will stop crying if they don’t force me anymore.
· Wawan will return the book to the library if the rain stop.
B. Conditional sentence type 2
· If I had enough time now, I would write to my parents.
Fact: I don’t have enough time now, so I don’t write to my parents.
· He would not come to your party if you didn’t invite him.
Fact: He will come to your party because you invite him.
· If the weather was very bad, we would take the train.
Fact: we don’t take the train because the weather is clearly nice.
· If I went to the post office, I would get you some stamps.
Fact: I don’t go to the post office, so I don’t get some stamps.
· I would not live in the city if you didn’t convince me.
Fact: I live in the city because you convince me.
· She would teach in this school if Shannon didn’t study in here.
Fact: She don’t teach in this school because Shannon study in here.
· If the weather were very bad, all schools would closed.
Fact: the weather is nice, so all schools are not closed.
· Gattan would keep the keys if you didn’t accept the order from his mother to lock that doors.
Fact: Gattan don’t keep the keys because you accept the order from his mother to lock that doors.
C. Conditional sentence type 3
· If you had told me about the problem, I would have helped you.
Fact: You did not tell me about the problem, so I did not help you.
· I would not have git wet yesterday if I had remenbered to take umbrella with me yesterday.
Fact: I got wet, because I did not remember o take my umbrella with me yesterday.
· If he had made a large sale, he would have taken his wife to an expensive restaurant.
Fact: he has not make a large sale, so he did not take his wife to an expensive restaurant.
· If you had not understand this math problem, I would have explained to you.
Fact: you understood this math problem, so I did not exlpaine to you.
· She would have returned her new dress to the store if her husband had not like her new dress.
Fact: she did not return her new dress to the store because her husband liked her new dress.
· If I had made a big trouble in here, I would have got a badly punishment.
Fact: I did not make a big trouble in here, so I did not get a badly punishment.