1. Conditionals I, II, and III
(A Review)

2. IF CLAUSES

3. IF and THEN Clauses
Conditional sentences have at least two clauses: IF clauses and THEN clauses.
Examples:
If I go into town tomorrow, then I will see a movie.
If he spoke Chinese, then he would work as a guide in China.
If they had been faster, then they would have won the race.

4. IF Clauses (the condition)
IF clauses present the condition.
Examples:
If I go into town tomorrow…
If he spoke Chinese…
If they had been faster…

5. THEN Clauses (the results)
THEN clauses present the results.
Examples:
… then I will see a movie.
…. then he would work as a guide in China.
… then they would have won the race.

6. IF and THEN Clauses
The word “then” is optional, but the clause is still the result of the condition. So it is a “THEN” clause, without the word “then.”
There are special rules for leaving out the word “if”. We will learn them later.

7. Remember:
The four words that NEVER (well, almost never) appear in the IF clause are:
will, won’t, would, wouldn’t
Example:
If we will see it, we will be angry.

8. Conditional I (present/future – possible)
When something is possible now or in the future
Form:
If (present) then will V.
Example:
If she studies, she will pass the geography test. (It is possible!!)

9. Unless Unless = if not Example:
If we don’t finish soon, we will miss the train.
Unless we finish soon, we will miss the train.

10. Temporals Temporals are time expressions.
(Examples: before, until, after, by the time, etc.)
When they refer to the future, they are like Conditional I: Temporal (present), will V.
Examples:
Until he arrives, I will read a book.
They will make a cake before they go.

11. Conditional II

12. Conditional II (present/future – impossible)
When something is NOT possible now, or in the future.
Form:
If (past) then would V.
Example:
If he spoke Chinese, he would work as a guide in China. (Fact: He doesn’t speak Chinese, so it’s impossible.)

13. Special Rules for Conditional II
“To be” is always “were”
Example: If he were here, he would do it.
(Fact: He’s not here, so it’s impossible.)
You can drop the “if” by moving the “were” to the front.
Example: Were he here, he would do it.

14. wish + (past)
Unlike a hope (which is possible), a wish usually will not come true. In general, you wish for a miracle, something that is impossible.
Examples:
I wish I were in Costa Rica. (I’m not there.)
He wishes he spoke Chinese. (He doesn’t.)

15. Conditional III (past – impossible)
“Making believe” about the past, assuming something that wasn’t true
Form:
If had V3rd, then would have V3rd.
Example:
If we had studied, we would have passed the exam. (Fact: We didn’t study and we didn’t pass the exam.)

16. Where does the “not” go?
If the girl had not looked both ways when she crossed the street, a car would have hit her. (Fact: She did look both ways, so a car did not hit her.)
If the boys had practiced more, they would not have lost the game. (Fact: They did not practice enough, so they lost the game.)

17. Special Rules for Conditional III
You can drop the “if” by moving the “had” to the front.
Example:
If he had been there, we would have done it.
Had he been there, we would have done it.
Be careful !! Although you are starting with a “little verb”, this is not a question !!

18. Good Luck !! Just remember to ask yourself:
1) Is the situation possible or impossible? 2) Is the situation in the past or in the present/future? THE END