1. Conditionals; Other Ways to Express Unreality9
Conditionals; Other Ways to Express Unreality
Experiences of an International Traveler
Focus on Grammar 5
Part IX, Unit 23
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Tired Traveler I wish I could brush my teeth right now.
If only I had found a taxi.
If the airport hadn’t lost my luggage, I wouldn’t have been delayed.
If I had more money, I would stay at better hotels.

3. If I don’t put sunscreen on, I get a bad sunburn.
Real Conditionals
Real conditionals are sentences that describe situations that occur regularly or are likely or possible in the future.
If we don’t get to the station on time, the train will leave without us.
If I don’t put sunscreen on, I get a bad sunburn.
In future-time situations, use the simple present in the if clause and the future with will or be going to in the result clause.
In present-time situations, use the simple present in both clauses to describe habitual or regularly occurring actions.

4. Unreal Conditionals
Unreal conditionals are sentences that describe situations that are untrue, unlikely, or impossible in the present or the past.
She doesn’t have enough money and she won’t visit Paris.
In present-time situations, use the simple past in the if clause and would, could, or might plus the base form of the verb in the result clause.
If I had enough money, I would visit Paris.

5. Present Unreal Conditionals
Use the simple past in the if clause. If the verb is be, use were for all persons. Use could, might, or would + base form in the result clause.
Where’s my wallet?
If I were a better planner I wouldn’t travel without a map.
If he were more careful, he would notice that his wallet was missing.
He didn’t travel with a map, so he got lost.

6. Past Unreal Conditionals
Use the past unreal conditional for past unreal, untrue, imagined, or impossible conditions and their unreal results. Use the past perfect in the if clause. Use could, might, or would + have + past participle in the result clause.
Where’s my wallet?
If I had looked at a map, I wouldn’t have gotten lost.
If he had been more careful, he might have noticed his wallet was missing.
He didn’t look at a map, so he got lost.

7. Practice 1 Real Unreal Past Unreal Examples: If I had enough money, …
Look at the chart and complete the conditionals with your own ideas.
Practice 1
Real
Unreal
Past Unreal
If + simple present
AND
simple present
will + base form verb
If + simple past
would/could/might
+ base form verb
If + past perfect
+ have
+ past participle verb
Examples:
If I had enough money, …
If I have enough money, …
If I had had a lot of money,…
1. If I visit Europe, …
2. … , I might not have gotten sick.
3. If we took an airplane,…
4. If we had made reservations, …
5. … , I would learn Russian.
I would travel to Asia.
I will travel to Asia.
I would have traveled to Asia.

8. I wish that baby would stop crying.
Use wish + could / would + base form to express a wish about the future.
I wish that baby would stop crying.
This is what he wants, but he is not sure if the baby will change his behavior.

9. I wish I caught an earlier flight. I wish I had more leg room.
Use wish + the simple past to express a wish about the present.
I wish I caught an earlier flight.
I wish I had more leg room.

10. Wish 3 Use wish + the past perfect to express a wish about the past.
The man ate the airplane food.
I wish I hadn’t eaten that airplane food.

11. Hope and Wish Don’t confuse hope and wish.
I wish (that) I didn’t have so much luggage.
I hope I get to the plane on time.
Use hope to express a desire about events that are possible or probable.
Use wish to express regrets about things that are unlikely or impossible to change.

12. If Only If only can also be used to express wishes.
If only they wouldn’t leave me here for the rest of my life.
Present
Future
If only they could see me.

13. I wish I could take the bus. If only I’d make my flight.
Use the pictures to make statements using wish and if only. Make statements about the present, future, and past.
Practice 2
Example:
I wish I could take the bus.
If only I’d make my flight. 1. 2. 3.

14. References
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